The adventures of Rue, Daisy and Twinkle
by Elizabeth Eleoner Rue
Summary: the adventures of three 16 year-old-girls who survived the crash of oceanic flight 815. their lives, their backstories, how they came to be the poeple they are. some wit, drama & fun. writen by myself, the Twinks and Hannah. please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

This is just the story of the lives of three 16 yearold girls who crashed on the island same as everyone else and their adventures. as it goes on their backstories unfold and you find out who they really are. some wit some drama and a lot of fun.

DISCLAIMER: We own Rue, Twinkle, Daisy and their backstories, the rest is the wonderfully people of Lost.

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Walking into one of the main rooms, Hannah stopped, dumbfounded. There were three men, men she didn't recognise, all sitting up against the wall. They were ragged and dirty and looked weak. One had dirty long blonde hair and a nasty gun shot wound in his shoulder. One had curly dark hair and dark skin and was worried about his son. The last one looked Asian, his skin stretched tightly across his cheekbones, he kept quiet, didn't know much English.

Hannah looked up and saw her group in a huddle on the other side of the room. They were talking and glancing at the strangers.

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Sawyer looked up and saw a dirty girl with thick, wild blond/brown hair. She was about sixteen, the same age as Rue and Twinkle and unfortunately, against his will, he felt a pang in his chest and he realized, regrettably that he missed them.

The girl looked furious. He could practically see the sparks shooting from her ears.  
She stormed up to the rest of her group, the tail section and conversed with them in angry whispers.

He heard the girl let out an angry noise, like a cat was being strangled and stormed out of the room, throwing angry looks at the rest of her people.

What a wild little spitfire. Sawyer saw Jin was looking after the girl with some interest, then looked at Sawyer and shrugged. Michael was looking at the ground.  
Hannah felt her face burning with anger, she wanted to hit someone, they had gone too far this time. She knew she wasn't supposed to be out there alone but she didn't care. She realized she probably ran to that place because it was against their precious rules.

Hannah heard footsteps behind her, she was determined to turn and look at Libby. She knew it was Libby by the way she walked. Libby had lied to her, Plain and simple. Hannah was angry her more than the others. Hannah had trusted Libby, not something she gave away lightly.

"Han I know why you're upset, I can understand completely." Libby's effort was met with silence. "But you have to understand, we kept it from you because we didn't want you to worry about what we weren't even certain about ourselves.  
"So," Hannah started angrily "You weren't certain that you had three strange men in a pit?"

"We are considering leaving and moving to their camp. They are from the front section of the plane, they say that there are around forty of them. The three of them were on a raft and was destroyed which is how they washed up here." Libby started getting up "We will leave in the morning." She started to walk away but turned back to face Hannah "I am sorry Han. We probably should have told you more, we've just never done this before, ya know?"

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Hannah sneaked into the room where they were all sitting on the ground. As she closed the door quietly, all three heads snapped up to look at her. She smiled and waved. They looked at her confused.  
She asked if they had seen her bag. She described it and told them about her precious ipod. Sawyer was amused by the way she could be burning fire one moment and a friendly, waveing daisy the next. Jin and Michael glanced at Sawyer who shook his head.  
"Sorry, Daisy, if we had your bag I would have your ipod." He drawled. Daisy? Hannah felt disappointed.

"Ok, maybe it will turn up." She shrugged  
"So what are the people like in your camp?"  
"Different to each other but over all ok." Hannah nodded  
"Some girls your age too." Michael added. Sawyer looked down for a moment. Hannah grinned at the prospect of company.

"Awesome. Are they cool?"  
Michael glanced at Sawyer, who shrugged in a so-so kind of way, his face reflecting a uninterested look. Jin was looking from one face to the other, he was understanding quite a bit of it now. He realized what Sawyer was shrugging about, he grinned and felt like laughing out loud at the man's apparent indifferent-ness.

The next day they left early. Hannah noted with some satisfaction the dazed bewildered joy on Bernard's face as they trooped through the jungle. Sawyer seemed to be getting worse. His bullet wound was infected. They kept having to rest for his sake, he was angry and irritable but completely exhausted. She sat next to him and tried to inspect the wound while Sawyer was trying to cover it up.

"Yuk" She commented.

Sawyer glared at her "I'm Sorry my getting shot in the arm is grossing you out."

"I heard you pulled the bullet out yourself." Hannah said with some admiration  
Sawyer put on his tough, ruthless, I don't care about my wellbeing voice and said.

"Well I really couldn't leave it in there now could I?"

"S'pose not" And then "What are the girls like, do you know them?"

"Yea," Gruffly. "I know 'em" He was acting indifferent again, this time Hannah saw it was an act.

"What are they like?"

Sawyer shrugged again then got up and started walking across the rock platform  
Hannah followed him, asking questions, Sawyer ignored her, trying to fob her off.

The next few days became a blur.

Sawyer collapsed. A stretcher was made for him and everyone was taking turns in carrying it, he still hadn't regained consciousness for more than a couple of seconds.

The whispering started.

Cindy disappeared.

Everyone was terrified, jumpy, walking fast, then running. Hannah's mind had gone blank with fear. She didn't know where anybody else was, she didn't care, she was petrified, and the whispering.

For the rest of the journey she was completely numb to everything, the fear in her head seemed to trigger something, it just shut down, went into autopilot. She saw what was happening, answered when questioned, helped when asked but nothing registered, nothing was real.

She started to wake, her brain became hers again, She was in a room, another room in the jungle, this one was much nicer though and she was sitting with Sawyer who was in the bed. A man with very short dark hair and stubble was next to her, he was talking, was he a doctor. A woman left, she had long dark hair and worried eyes, had Hannah been completely blind to everything around her? She knew what was happening, she knew Jacks name, she knew Kate's name, but only just now was she starting to take things in, starting to care, starting to know.

"Why is he unconscious?" She asked Jack tentatively, Jack jumped and turned.

"You're talking now?"

Hannah looked at Sawyer.

"Exhaustion, and shock, the wound is infected, he has a temperature and a fever"

"Oh, ok."

She got up, went into the kitchen she had seen when she came into the room, found a cloth, ripped a side off and tied up her hair (now that she had woken she realised that her hair had become sweaty and muddy and thoroughly gross.) She wet the rest of the cloth, wrung it out and then brought it back to Sawyer's bed and started to wipe down his face with the cool damp cloth.

Jack glanced at her and gave a half smile; _this strange, quiet girl seemed to care a bit about Sawyer, which was always a novelty to see. Or she just liked playing nurse,_ he thought. Hannah felt like a nurse, dabbing at Sawyer's forehead, she was a proud when he came round for a brief moment.

"Rue." He murmured, "Where's Twinkle?" It didn't make sense to her but his coming around was a good sign. But that was all they got out of him before he lapsed back in to unconsciousness

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"I'm bored."

"Yeah."

"I'm soooo bored."

"I know."

"No, I'm really bored."

"Yes Twinks me too!"

Rue sighed in frustration and gazed out at the horizon, squinting slightly from the sun, while Twinkle picked up the same handful of sand for the 15 thousandth time and ran it through her fingers. Rue was tall with long , light brown bedraggled hair and very large sky blue eyes. Twinkle was more petit with bright red, wavey hair and freakles flickering across her cheeks. Rue and Twinkle were their welcome nicknames. To rest of the world Rue was known as Francesca and Twinkle as Michelle. They had put these names down to their lives before the island. And mostly rather let them be.

"Nothing has shown up in the ten seconds since you last looked, Rue"

"I know," Rue admitted sadly, "but surely someone's picked them up by now?" She finished somewhat uncertainly.

Silence fell between the two friends, both sensing the other's thoughts.

It was a beautiful day, the kind on which they would normally be out picking fruit with Kate or swimming with Walt or singing songs with Charlie or setting up a dating service with Hurley or helping out in the garden with Sun. However there was a sense of gloom in the atmosphere and neither girl felt compelled to do very much at all besides, everyone was more or less off doing there own thing. Kate was playing golf with Jack in the high country, Walt was off on the raft, Charlie was arguing with Claire, Hurley... well ... god knew where he was and Sun was also looking miserable with the absence of Jin. It was the kind of day when it felt best to just to feel miserable.

Rue and Twinkle, however, were never alone. They were inseparable, therefore they couldn't get much more alone than they were now.

"Hey I know!" Piped in Twinkle, sitting forward eagerly. "Lets go find Arnzt. He's always more or less entertaining. I'm sure we're not quite out of practical jokes yet." She began to giggle violently. "Remember when we put that dead lizard in his undies!" Twinkle was rolling around in hysterics now as the tears rolled down her face in a happy memory.

"Arnzt is dead, Twinkle." Rue said quietly.

"Oh yeah, um ...oh ... I uh..." Between heavy panting for breath. "That was stupid of me." She said calming down again. "Sorry." She finished somewhat lamely.

Rue let escape a small giggle before stopping abruptly, realising how inappropriate the situation was. Silence fell again. Just the sound of waves and Claire's pretty voice could be heard singing Aaron to sleep.

"I miss him." Twinkle blurted out and immediately cast her eyes down, looking embarrassed as though the statement had slipped out before she could stop it.

Rue turned to face her with a confused expression.

"Arnzt?"

"Sawyer."

Rue turned back to the ocean.

"Me too Twinks."

The crunch of boots on leaves told of the arrival of Kate. Something was wrong. She looked frightened, upset and was covered in sweat, she'd evidently been in a hell of a hurry to get there.

"You two." She panted. "You had better... come …with me."

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_As the flight attendant leant over to pass Francesca a cup of juice Shell had the sudden spasm to whip her hand up, which coincidently knocked the juice out of the woman's hand and split it entirely over Francesca. The woman quickly apologised and went to get some serviettes. _

"_Oh my god. Hate to be a bitch Shell!" Francesca said while unintentionally flicking the droplets of juice on the blond, longhaired southern man sitting in between them._

"_That's not good Fran," Said Shell in mock sympathy. "I've heard self hate is terrible for your health. Might want to take it easy, do some yoga." She accentuated the last word with an extra touch of mockery. Francesca tried to jump across the seat to hit Shell but two things were in her way, the man who seemed to be developing a slight twitch the longer he stayed between them and her seat belt. When she realised this she exhaled with furry. _

"_As soon as this plane lands you are dead."_

"_Oh great 16 hours of death threats can't wait."_

"_Well what do you think of a murder, suicide scenario?"_

"_Works for me."_

"_Deal." The woman came back with the serviettes and handed them to Fran. She started to walk back up the isle but the man called for her to come back rather franticly for such a big guy. She had already walked through the divider so he quickly stood up and awkwardly shoved past the red head and left her and the psychotic one to annihilate each other. _

"_Ma'am, ma'am!" He called out from behind her in his southern drawl as he strode though the dividers to first class. "Hay ma'am." He almost shouted. The woman quickly turned and came to meet him. _

"_My name is Cindy sir, could you please go back to your seat and I will come and assist you." She said rationally gesturing to behind him. _

"_That's my problem Lu Who, I need another seat." _

"_Sir we're completely booked I can't-," _

"_You're not getting the gist of what I am saying. I can't be stuck for another 16 hours in between the psychotic Heathers." He looked almost pleadingly at her._

"_Look I am sorry sir but it is impossible to move you, but if you go back to your seat I will send you any alcoholic drink you can think of and I will patrol your isle especially for ground control." The man walked back to his seat feeling slightly patronized but figuring that there was really nothing more he could ask for. The first thing he saw was a packet of peanuts dumped in the girl's red hair while the other one was wriggling around like crazy with what looked like cubes of ice down her shirt. _

"_Oh my god a plan crash would be so good right now!"_

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Kate came back, hurrying forward with another bottle, Hannah glanced behind her and saw two girls, both were standing stock still, staring, eyes wide with their pale faces scared and unhappy

"What's...um?" The girl with the wavy red hair asked.

"He's been shot in the arm and it's infected. He's suffering from shock and exhaustion." Jack said briefly.

"I'm Hannah." She offered. They just stared at her.

"I was in the crash." They glanced at each other.

"In the tail section." She continued hopefully, a metaphorical light bulb flickered over both their heads. The girl went back to dabbing Sawyer's head.

Rue and Twinkle had an over whelming feeling of vertigo. He was just lying there, half dead with glugs of alcohol drying on his arm and a girl dabbing his forehead.  
She had thick hair that was tied up with a piece of cloth and had dirt smeared on her clothes and face.

Latter that day when everyone else had left the hatch except for Jack who was in the other room to attend to the button, the girl who was still sitting by Sawyer and Rue and Twinkle still standing in awe. It was then that they approached the bed. Rue spoke first.

"Hay Macho man." She said quietly. A few tears started to roll down her cheeks "We told you before, if someone has a gun shut your mouth and bat your eyes." He didn't stir. It was eerie and strange and he did not look like Sawyer. He was stiff with pain and he looked weary. More than anything Rue and Twinkle just wanted to hear him insult them, give a quick one liner and maybe an impression of Jack. But it didn't come. Twinkle still stark white addressed the Hannah girl.

"Did you find him like this?" Hannah looked up and shook her head. These must have been the two girls her age. By the way they were looking at Sawyer she kind of understood the amused faces of Jin and Michael when Sawyer was asked if he knew them

"No. We found all three of them on the beach and threw them into a pit. Not that I knew about it, I'm kind of left on the edge of all things interesting." The girls nodded in empathetic understanding. "He was already in a bad way, ya know pulling the bullet out his arm himself and all."

"He what? Oh my god when he regains consciousness I am going to hit him over the head so hard." Rue exasperated. Twinkle pulled Rue back down to kneeling position and prompted Hannah to continue.

"Well by the time we started to walk back his arm was already infected and he just got to a point when he collapsed.

"Bet he was an arse hole to be around before he went." Said Twinkle absent-mindedly.

"Oh you have no idea."

Rue and Twinkle looked at each other. "Yes we do." She liked the girls so far, they were pretty cool even in the face of such a depressing circumstance. They must have known each other before the crash, that kind of bond couldn't be conjured in just forty-eight days.

After a few hours dusk was approaching. Kate came in and told them that they were welcome to stay but if they wanted to leave it was going to have to be now. She was staying with Sawyer and had shift at the button. Kate looked tired and worried but there was no use asking what was wrong. She was a tough chick with a colourful past. She was not about to tell anybody anything.

"Hannah, we were wondering if you want to come sleep in our tent?" Twinkle asked quietly. A conversation such as this would usually be asked along with a song and dance number but the girls had no life in them at this point after seeing Sawyer the way he was.

"It will be a little squished tonight but we could start on renovations soon." Rue added. Hannah accepted.

That night she had trouble sleeping. Every time someone walked off to the toilet or a baby started crying she would wake up and positively jump to her feet. It was strange and foreign to her how safe everyone in this camp felt. She had not had felt safe in a long time.

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_Francesca woke with a jolt as a big lump resembling Shell fell on top of her. She kicked the lump off and as she levered her self up, she felt sand under her fingers. She looked around and discovered a beach with people running around, screaming and the wreckage of a plane scattered everywhere. _

_She helped Shell up and grabbed the other girl's face, looking at the scratches and bruises on her face, Shell pushed her away._

"_Your hands are all sandy." Francesca wiped her hands and rolled her eyes at the typicalness. They surveyed the beach, trying to figure out what to do. They heard the loudest scream and started to move towards it (maybe they could be of some help.) but the woman who was screaming was just standing there, completely intact, not even bruised just screaming in a pink mini skirt. They weighed up sorting her out or sorting out some one with a weirdly positioned, bloodied up arm, eventually they went with the arm. That girl probably needed a psychologist not physical medical help, not that they knew how to do that either._

_After getting help to the arm, the girls wondered around finding people to help and finding their bearings on what exactly happened to them. As they surveyed the area, a guy ran up to them and quickly asked if either of them had a pen, neither of them did, so he sprinted over to the next person. Shell remembered the southern man sitting in-between them. She told Francesca this and they took a quick look around but they couldn't see him. This time they looked with a little more detail, the curiosity had got to them. _

"_What the hell is that?" _

"_A plane?" Shell waved her hand at Francesca's stupid answer. She followed something ear first until Francesca could here it too. _

"_HAY… HAY…COULD SOMEONE GET ME OUT OF HERE?" _

"_Hay man where coming to get you." Shell said. The man was still strapped into his seat in the fuselage. He was suspended upside down, his longish blond hair dangling down._

"_Oh great the safety manual Nazis." He drawled, still upside down as Shell made her way into the dark cavern._

"_Gosh how did you get your self into this mess?" She said as if talking to a toddler who has just covered him self in paint._

"_Well I'm pretty sure a plane crashed Miss Spellings." He said quiet pissed off that he was in such a vulnerable state with two kids rescuing him, it was a bit more than his ego could take._

"_Nah not Spellings. This is Shell and I'm Fran."_

"_Oh well I'm…WAITING TO BE CUT DOWN." _

"_Sorry for chucking that manual at you, I was aiming for her." Francesca apologized and pointed to Shell._

"_Yeah you have never been a very good throw."_

"_Hay!" Francesca defended her self. "What about that year of base ball I did?"_

"_You sucked at it and hated it more, remember? The only reason why you stayed on was because you wanted the participating trophy at the end of the year." _

"_Dam it, your right. That game really does suck." At this the man started to yell for help again._

"_Hay what are you shouting for we're already here."_

"_Girls this whole rescuing thing with you guys and me is not going to work. We have conflicting differences regarding the definition of the word __rescue__"_

"_Oh shush up we're getting you out." Commanded Shell. "Your seatbelt in jammed pretty bad do you have a knife?"_

"_Oh yeah and while you get that you may want to have a look at the machine gun they let me take on the plane." They heard some creaking noises but left it because it just added to the deafening noise of the plane crashes aftermath and everything that went with it._

_They looked around for a minuet until Francesca picked up a shard of metal._

"_How's this?" Shell smiled and grabbed the shard. She started sawing into the belt. Out side they could here a man shouting._

"_HAY, HAY, GET HER UP, GET HER OUT OF THERE." They herd two more loud cracks and a retching as the wing started to give way._

"_Guys we've gotta get out of here!" Francesca said starting to shake as the surface they stood on rocked. Shell slit through to belt and the man plummeted to the floor. He knew there was no time and with out thinking he got up grabbed both the girls around the waist and ran them out of the wreckage. He kept going until a huge explosion bowled them over. The three of them smashed into the sand in a heap. He got up and gave the girls a hand. He looked at them and then started to walk away._

"_Hay thanks for the lift…um…?" Francesca asked. He answered his name._

"_Sawyer and don't mention it. Oh and thanks for the saven' thing…um?"_

"_Fran Nolan and Shell Star and we will mention that all the time." Stated Shell._

"_Sure you will Twinkle toes."_

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The next couple of days were a depressing blur of images and talk based around the death of Shannon and the life of Sawyer. It was getting a little too hard handle. The tension of not being able to do anything was getting to them. The girls were now pretty close to Hannah, but she had only heard the legends of the bubbly twosome. All she knew were two seriously worried girls who wanted to know their friend was safe.

Twinkle and Rue were taking the now daily walk through jungle to the hatch. That morning had been Shannon's funeral and the rest of the day had been spent trying to analyses what had happened. The whole event was still not crystal in their minds and neither of them knew exactly how they felt or how to react.

Hannah was with Ana Lucia who had been working on her tent as the funeral was going on. She beat all her feeling into a rock which was plowing a post into the ground. Ana said she didn't need Hannah there but she stayed anyway. What she had done was an accident. Ana was protecting her people; it was something she should not have to suffer for.

When the two girls entered the hatch and strode through the eerie corridor they were already in a doomed mood but their breath was caught in their throat as they entered a room with an empty bed.

Just being at a funeral it was kind of hard not to jump to conclusions. Twinkle could already see Jack kneeling down to them trying to use his awful bedside manner to the best of his ability. Twinkle's eyes were welling with tears and Rue's face was stark white until they heard a gravely voice from behind them.

"I've been conscious for a few hours and my groupies turn up now?" The girls spun around and there stood sawyer, probed up by Kate, looking dirty, unshaven, scruffy and alive. It took a second to register but when it did they charged at him. He was engulfed in two vicious hugs. He winced at the pain to his shoulder but abstained from complaining just enough time to make sure that these were his girls and to appreciated that they were with him now and that he could stop worrying. When he had gone on the raft he didn't think that he would give the girls that much of a second thought but he did. Ok, now he could complain.

"Hay steady on there I'm the walking wounded ain't I Freckles?" Kate rolled her eyes but couldn't seem to wipe the grin off her face.

"Yeah. Girls if you help me get him to the bed you can do what you want with him."

"Except for shoot me." Sawyer added. "I'm still getting over a pervious incident incase you hadn't noticed." He was lapping up the attention. They got him to the bed and Rue and Twinkle pulled up chairs while Kate grabbed a drink from the kitchen.

"You got shot." Twinkle pointed out.

"Nice observation Stardust." Sawyer comment, leaning back.

"Michael told us that not only did you take the bullet out your self but you enjoyed the idea of jumping from one piece of wreckage to the other in shark infested waters. You're an idiot." Rue concluded.

"She's right you know," Twinkle continued. "You've been off for weeks playing Jack Sparrow while we have been sitting on a beach assuming you were being a lazy arse like usual. Oh my god, are you proactive now? A proactive Sawyer does that even work?" She asked Rue.

"It goes against all previously devised laws. Don't go changing Sawyer." At this the two girls broke into song.

"_Don't go changing to please me,"_ Sawyer's face screwed up at this sing-a-long from the girls. One of his, you wouldn't say dislikes, more detests of the girl's customs.

"You two breaking out into song every five seconds hasn't happened to just fade away?" Kate walked in and answered.

"These girls could be on the Titanic as its going down and find an appropriate song to sing, one week is not going to change that." The girls immediately broke out into the Titanic song by Celin Deion.

He shrugged as if to say it was worth a try. "So what's been going on? I missed the last few episodes of Survivor."

"Arnzt was moving dynamite to open the hatch," Said Rue edgily but Twinkle continued earnestly.

"And he blew up!"

"Blew up?"

"Yeah as in little pieces of him few through the air and according to Hurley, Jack had a little spot of Arnzt on him for like a half an hour." Twinkle was like a little kid talking about candy. Kate looked horrified.

"Michelle! A man died it wasn't a fire works display!"

"Well it kinda was."

"Shell!"

"Sorry."

While Kate and Twinkle had a discussion about the circumstances in which Dr Arnzt met his fate Rue turned to Sawyer.

"Hay guess what? We opened the hatch." Sawyer smirked at her sarcasm and played along.

"Oh really, what's inside?"

"Swedish models and beer." She said with a straight face.

"Oh come on Rue that is just cruel. Playing off my hopes and dreams like that."

"Hay you taught me well."

Hannah walked into the room. She was a little apprehensive about approaching the scene. She was an outsider infiltrating a reunion, she didn't know what to do.

"Hay Hannah. This is Sawyer, I'm sure you've been insulted by him before." Quipped Twinkle.

"Yo, Daisy. I'm sure you've been tortured by the singing styles of Rue and Twinkle before."

"Rue and Twinkle?" They were the names that he had muttered before. This makes sense now.

"Yeah the wannabe Olson twins."

4815162342

_Francesca and Twinkle, as Shell began to be called, were sorting out the contents of the luggage from the plane wreckage, an assignment that that Kate woman had got them on to. It was a welcome change from sitting around bodies. They had designated piles for clothes, toiletries, medical supplies and electrical equipment as well as a pile of books, tampons, jewelry and any other items that they deemed useless for anyone else other than themselves. Sawyer trundled up to them and lounged up against a large unidentifiable piece of metal. _

"_Good hall?"_

"_Hands off, we saw you looting that stuff out of the plane wreckage yesterday." Francesca said._

" _Yeah, we aren't robbers." _

"_Then what's that little old stash sitting behind you Twinkle?"_

"_That's our…um… miscellaneous pile."_

"_Ah ha sure. Well I just came by to have a look, oh and give you this. He held out a little key ring, one that you would find at any souvenir shop in an Australian airport, of a little kangaroo with boxing gloves. _

"_What's this for?" Francesca asked suspiciously as she received the gift._

"_Found it and thought if anyone should have it, the girl who gave me a dam bruised rib on that plane should. A boxing kanga should be your mascot or something, Rue."_

"_You recon we ride kangaroo's to school don't ya?" She said attaching the key ring to her belt buckle. _

"_And have Koala's as pets." Twinkle added_

"_And I have to say that I have never cooked shrimp on the barbie before."_

"_Dam I didn't know Rue and Twinkle were the Aussie police. I gave it to you cause I just wanted to know what you two were fighting about seeing as soon as we crashed you both suddenly became an extention of the Brady Bunch." The girls looked at each other awkwardly._

"_We had a problem with…communication."_

"_Yeah certain pieces information was never quite expressed." When Sawyer left they turned to each other. _

"_Rue?"_

"_Twinkle?" _

"_I like them."_

"_Yeah they sound like super hero names. Rue and Twinkle, to the rescue!"_

"_Rue and Twinkle saved the island once again from the creepy thing that pushes down the trees, what would you like to say about it Twinkle?" Rue asked in her in her best impersonation of a New York Journalist. _

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The girls had left the hatch. The sounds of the chattering teenagers laying everything out for Sawyer and laughing at the remembrance of times past was now gone and all that was left was a calming song on the record player which seemed to weave its way into every corner of the hatch.

Kate walked over to the bunk bed and handed Sawyer a glass of water. He propped himself up on his good arm to take a sip.

"They missed you, ya know? The quietest time we've ever had on this island. They were just silent. There wasn't much you could do to get them to talk."

"Funny because it doesn't seem to matter what I do I can't get them to shut up."

"Hannah's gotten close to them. It's only been a few days but she's just about completely moved in. Now we have three girls." Sawyer looked at her and cracked a grin.

"We? I knew we were friend's Freckles but kids? Give me time."

"Keep it in your pants Sawyer."

"Hay you brought it up."

4815162342

He was currently in a deep sleep, which Jack had warned he was not to be coxed out of, which the girls took as a challenge.

They were tempting Sawyer to wake up. He was going to make it, which was a huge load of their minds but they still didn't have their neighbor back, most of the time he was asleep, which was incredibly aggravating to the girls who were desperate for their island normalcy.

Twinkle put ice cubes down his shirt. Rue made an orange juice, with vodka and stuffed in front of his nose. Finally Hannah painted his face with toothpaste all to no avail.  
It didn't all come to nothing, because they managed to talk Kate into having some orange juice and were rewarded with one of Jack's rare smiles of gratitude when he came in to see Kate with a huge mouthful of vodka filled orange juice, looking a little less pale and exhausted than before. They also got a lecture from Jack on how trying to wake Sawyer was just being counter productive.

Twinkle was the one to suggest playing the records, which prompted Hannah's memory of her lost ipod, she explained to them and described her bag as they chose out records according to the covers and pictures purely. (They had never heard of any of the bands at all)

"Oh my god!" Rue cried, dropping a record. "That's the bag in the tree!"

"The bag in the tree!?" Cried Twinkle, clutching Rue dramatically and looking around in desperation.

"The bag in the tree!" They both wailed in harmony.

Hannah watched dumbfounded, "Uh, you have seen it then?"

"Yep." Rue seemed completely cured of her temporary madness. "Its in a tree."

Twinkle nodded. "We have been wondering for ages what's in it."

"My ipod." Offered Hannah.

"Ok, lets go get it." Rue said

"Better than listening to this crap anyway." Twinkle added. Hannah grinned and wondered whether it would still be ok. In the jungle they met with Hurley and Charlie who were sitting on a log, talking.

Rue stopped. "Are we interrupting anything?"

"Nah dude, just talking." Hurley shrugged.

"What's your name again?" Charlie asked, staring at Hannah.

"This is Geraldine." Twinkle said to Charlie, "and Geraldine, this is Charlie."  
She said it with such a straight face, Charlie got up and shook Hannah's hand, smiling.

"Another baby sitter eh? Nice to actually meet you Geraldine."

"Man that's sad, that's Hannah, they've been here for a few days, don't you remember anything?"

"Oh." Charlie glanced at Twinkle, smiled at Hannah again and said. "So, nice to meet you Hannah, I assume you can baby-sit just as well as Geraldine."

"We are off the get the bag out of the tree." Said Rue.

Charlie clutched at Twinkle's arm "The bag out of the tree?!"

"Yeah, its Daisy's, or Hannah's, or Gereldine's if you prefer." Rue finished. Hannah felt as if she would never truly appreciated the front-section's sense of humour.

"I guess we'll come then." Said Hurley, getting to his feet.

"You bet we will, this is a milestone in the history of this damn island." Cried Charlie, grinning. "The bag is coming out of the tree!"

Hannah shook her head confused, Hurley grinned at her, "I don't really get it either, but after a while you stop asking _why_ with this lot."  
She smiled, and nodded at him.

"There!" Twinkle pointed dramatically to the sky. Rue, Twinkle and Charlie started some strange, clapping, slapping tribal dance around Hannah and Hurley as they looked upwards at the bag hanging in the tree, it was her's alright. Hurley gave her a boost upwards into the tree, while Rue, Twinkle and Charlie continued the tribal dance around the base of the tree.

"Be careful." Called Hurley after her. She sat on a branch and kicked off her shoes, it would be able to climb better without them. One hit Charlie in the head but he continued with the tribal dance and hardly seemed to notice.

Hannah edged her way up the tree slowly and carefully, the bark was smooth and potentially slippery so she took it really slowly, she had no intention to fall. Higher and higher. Rue stopped her tribal dance suddenly looking up at Hannah, Twinkle slamming into her back in full tribal dance and fell over her, but Rue was looking up and called.

"Daisy, don't you think your high enough now."

"Dude, she isn't just climbing a tree for fun, she is trying to get her bag."

"But still, its high right, too high, she should come down" Rue said.

Hannah kept going; eyes on the branches, occasionally looking up at the bag that was quite close now. She reached out, stretching her arm out and clasped a handle of the bag, she managed to hook her arms around it and sling it on her back as if it were a backpack.  
She then half slid, half crawled back down, until, with a thump she landed on the ground.

"So, you're not afraid of heights then." Charlie joked, looking a little taken aback.

"You were really high up." Twinkle said nodding. Hannah was crouched, opening up her bag and going through it.

"Oh wow." She pulled out her ipod. "It still works!" She grinned, absolutely delighted.


	2. Chapter 2

"_You didn't have the inhalers?" Rue said incredulously as her and Twinkle sat down in Sawyer's tent while he lay with his bandaged shoulder. Sawyer went to defend himself but was cut off. _

"_Hay we know nobody else would be upset if you died but we would! So the next time you decide to piss off the tribes wild men, consider the fact that your dieing would be selfish." Twinkle said seriously. This was a topic that she didn't want to mess around with. He needed to know that he was not expendable; he was no longer that guy in the lifeboat that they decide to throw over bored because he had no family._

"_They weren't going to kill me." He finally defended, prodding his bandage. "They were like little pissed off pre-schoolers, harmless kids."_

"_Have you ever read 'The lord of the flies' because they were just harmless kids and then before you know it piggy is dead."_

"_Have you ever read Sandy beach? They were harmless kids and guess what? Nothing happened. They sat on a beach for the entire book before having a swim and going home." Sawyer finished and Rue waited a moment before asking him._

"_You've read Sandy Beach? Don't you think it's a little above your level with all the illustrations and the scene where the cousin makes a sand castle, hard core stuff."_

_The two girls sat for a little while giggling to them selves about something they were trying their hardest to hold in, it took about thirty seconds before Twinkle burst._

"_So you snogged Kate huh?" Twinkle blurted._

"_How the hell!?" Sawyer started trying his hardest not to grin. "Just shut up bout it right?" But there was no chance. The girls immediately started singing. _

"_Sawyer and the Kate and the Snog and the love and the Kate and the Sawyer and the torture and the Love and the snog and the Sawyer." Over and over until Jack came to give Sawyer a check up, at which they quickly shut up and quickly ran to tell someone else. _

**4815162342**

Hannah, Rue and Twinkle were going through the 'loot' of Daisy's bag in front of Sawyers bed, it was another desperate attempt to bring Sawyer back to normalcy.

In the bag, along with the normal depository of clothes was an ipod, ipod speakers, a phone, battery charger for the phone, a video camera, a whole lot of disks for the camera, a battery charger for the camera, a teddy bear, five boxes of tampons, five packets of pads, six bottles of tea tree oil (Hannah said she really couldn't live without the stuff), tea bags, two boxes of band aids, hairbrush, toothbrush and makeup.

Hannah told them that she really didn't want to talk to her mum at all when she finally got to L.A, so she packed everything she would need for the entire term that she was staying there. They then spent the next half an hour giving Sawyer a makeover with all Hannah's makeup, and doing his hair.

When Jack came in for Sawyer's check up he jumped when he saw him, and started laughing looking positively delighted. It was then that Sawyer started to wake up. Hannah and Rue took fright, ran and jumped behind the lounge (they really didn't want to be in sight when Sawyer woke up and discovered he was covered in lipstick and eye shadow), while Twinkle just went on packing up the makeup. Jack stared around at the contents of Hannah's bag, which was spread around on the floor.

"What's all this?" He picked up a bottle of tea tree oil.

"Do you mind? It will probably be better than alcohol"

"Nah, go for it." Hannah said eagerly. Anything that would help with Sawyer she was all for.

Sawyer started stirring in the bed. Jack lent over him "Sawyer?"

"Doc?" The voice was low and gravely. "Wouldn't mind getting me a drink would you?" He said condescendingly to his always rival.

"Hey, we still have some _fun_ orange juice!" Called Twinkle who was already at the fridge.

"Water will do him." Called Jack in reply.

"Nah, I want juice." Mumbled Sawyer.

"Juice it is then." Twinkle took over. Hannah and Rue came out from behind the lounge

"Sawyer." Rue putting a hand on his arm, "You look terrible."  
"I don't know Rue," Said Twinkle. "I think he looks quite glamorous. What do you think of our beauty queen Daisy?"

"Disastrous! Really. That colour is all wrong, it doesn't complement the bags under his eyes."

"Oh aren't you just full of sunshine and Daisies." Sawyer said still unaware of what was plastered all over his face.

"It's a gift."

"Burry that gift in a dark place Daisy."

Kate came in, moved the girls out of the way and started to wipe Sawyer face with a towel.

**4815162342**

Sawyer was now coming to grips with the fact that everyone didn't hate him and that they actually respected him for the whole bullet thing. Once in passing he heard the distasteful word of _hero_, which he blamed these people for entirely and vowed to make those people in particular hate him.

Hate was a normal thing to come his way, he took comfort in the consistency, he knew exactly how to handle it, but non-sexual affection, pats of congratulations, smiles as he walked past, what were you supposed to do with them?

Most of the time he liked to see how far he could push people before they snapped back to _what a basted_ mode, but on the rare occasion he didn't fight it and for whole minuets at a time completely forgot that life had not away been all sunshine and butterflies.

Hurley, in another attempts to create happy vibes and less completely stressed out, tense people. Managed to fix (out of what ever he could find) some stumps, bats and a ball which he wrestled from Vincent.

Hurley and Charlie started to play a game of beach cricket up the beach a bit. Charlie batted the ball and Hurley caught it on the full.

"You've got to be kidding me man." Charlie complained, throwing down his bat.

"Sorry dude, I'm a good catch what can I say?"

Daisy walked past, back from picking fruit. She looked at both of them and they looked back at her. Before either could say anything she ran the rest of the way to the camp.

"Go fish!" Said Twinkle dramatically. Kate rolled her eyes and picked up.

"I can't believe we are playing this game. Come on guys at least something with some stakes. Poker?" The girls shook their heads.

"Sorry Kate _go fish_ is all we play. Your free to teach us?"

"Teach." Kate moaned. Daisy ran straight into the middle of their game.

"Guys you have to see this."

"What is it?" They said not nearly as enthused as she had hoped. She dropped the fruit.

"Just come and have a look." Kate was the first to drop her cards; anything would be better than _go fish_. Twinkle and Rue followed suit though they carefully put their cards down in hope to return later.

"Cricket?" Kate said stupidly. Charlie immediately adopted a hurt face.

"No Kate. God that's offensive. This is beach cricket."

"What's the difference?" She asked. Hurley came back from retrieving a ball and replied.

"Sand. A lot of sand."

Twinkle giggled and nudged Kate. "He's got a point there."

"Well are you guys just gonna stand there and watch me sweat cause we could use some fielders." The girls looked at each other, rolled their eyes and all ran to different spots of the beach almost simultaneously.

A little way into the game they had accumulated about ten spectators and fifteen team members. Rue looked down the beach and saw in the distance of the camp a figure leaning up against a tree trying to see as much as he could from a distance.

She left the game and walked back to camp. As she came closer the figure moved out of site. When she came to the camp Sawyer was sitting in his plane seat looking immersed in an up-side-down book. She positioned herself right in front of him so that she blocked sun but it still created a halo behind her head. He didn't move. She tilted her head, hair falling over her face and then righted her self.

"What do you want short-stack?" Sawyer said not really interested in the answer.

"Oh I was just wondering how _Rettop Yrrah _is going?"

"Huh?" he grunted looking up at her in confusion. Rue leaned into Sawyer and said in a hushed voice.

"If you're going to pretend to read a book try to get it the right way up." He still didn't get it. She lifted the book out of his hand, flipped it and gave it back. Sawyer held the copy of Harry Potter in his hand and got the sinking feeling of being an idiot so he quickly tried to cover his tracks.

"Come on Rue your ruining this for me. The sexual tension is so high something is about to happen I bet ya."

"Sawyer this is the first book." He looked at her as if it should not make a difference.

"Their 11 years old!"

"Dam they start early. Be careful Suzie high school you may get left behind." Rue glared at him but decided to get to the point.

"You may have noticed there's a social situation going on down the beach. This is called a game and you, my emotionally stunted friend are going to play.

"No I am not." Sawyer said mockingly.

"Oh I beg to differ."

"Look Peaches I don't need no bonding session, me and Harry are fine where we are." Rue put her hands on her hips.

"Maybe so, but you are coming."

Eventually with a lot of pulling, pushing and treats involving eyebrow tweezers she got him down to the game. He spent a bit of time in his _I don't give a crap_ mood but it didn't take long for him to get the competitive streak and really get into it.

Steve was batter and as the ball flew to him Twinkle started to cheer as she had for all who were playing.

"Go Scott! Wow!" Rue ran over to her before she could continue.

"Ah hun, that's Steve, Scott's dead."

"Oh, Got it."

Steve hit the ball and it flew through the air, him and Charlie started running back and forth. As the ball came down Kate seized the chance to catch it on the full, the same thoughts ran through Sawyer's mind. As they ran into the same space just before they would have collided Kate jumped up and caught the ball. Charlie and Steve stopped running and people started cheering Kate on her save. Sawyer looked up at the sky in defeat and then knowing full well that cricket is a non contact sport said.

"Oh stuff it." He charged the last few steps towards Kate grabbed her around the waist and footy tackled her to the ground. He grabbed for the ball while still enjoying the situation. She was struggling under his weight. Daisy, Rue and Twinkle were wolf whistling and Daisy screamed out.

"GET A ROOM!" Between shrieks of laughter. Sawyer eventually grabbed the ball out of her hand and stood up with it but before he could chuck it back to the bowler Kate, from lying position, slammed a kick to the back of Sawyer's knee. He crumbled on impact and dropped the ball in favor for nursing his leg. Kate picked up the ball and through it back to the bowler.

Twinkle turned to Daisy and Rue. "That's girl power baby."

**4815162342**

"_So you will arrive in a week? Seven days right Hunny?" The high-pitched voice of Hannah's mother, Vikki, screeched through the phone. Hannah held the receiver a little further away from her ear as she sat on the veranda looking out over the ocean with the book Finding Cassie Crazy resting on her knees. Vikki on the other end sat in a large room, on expensive carpet painting her nails a shade called Priestess Pink Polish. _

"_No mum I told you, Dad booked the flight wrong it's in nine days, 22__nd__, the flight is 815 ok? You want to write it down?" She mumbled away from the phone. "Tattoo it on your forehead." Vikki didn't hear this though, too preoccupied with a growing rant. _

"_Oh yeah, god that's typical of that man, all ways stuffing up plans, never does anything properly. Always ruining things."_

"_Yeah sure mum, dad's a dirt bag, half my genes suck, moving on." She said quickly, hoping to get off the phone as soon as possible, talking to her mother always seemed to cause a rather sizable tension headache. _

"_The 22__nd__? Oh Jane's new foster child comes in then."_

"_She couldn't find a charity case in the whole of the united states?" She said apathetically_

"_You so awful sometimes. She wants to keep helping Australian kids even though she lives over here and none of them have much else in there lives, they would probably find a plane trip exhilarating." She said genuinely. Daisy on the other hand was amazed at her mother's ability to be completely condescending and elitist without knowing it. Vikki was an heiress, her father owned a massive, international insurance company which he sold just before he died, leaving his entire wealth to Vikki and her sister Jane and leaving both of them with no need to ever work. Vikki enjoyed being an upstanding woman of society, going to charity events and joining women's groups, who met once a week and had tea and scones while commenting on the injustice of social issues they really knew nothing about. _

"_Ok mum well if that's it…" _

"_Oh Hun this cute kid just moved in next door, gorgeous body, do you want me to hook you guys up together for lunch or something, at your age you should be dating much more than you are." Hannah wanted to hit something very badly. He heard a knock at the door, and being the only one at home as her dad was off on business she felt it was her sworn duty to quickly hang up on her mother and go and answer the door. _

"_Someone's at the door Mum, gotta go, bye." She quickly slammed down the receiver before Vikki could say another word. She got up and walked across the tiled floor to the door and opened it to find a young man with shaggy blond hair standing in front of her. _

"_Hi." She said. He said nothing just standing there, looking at her wide eyed. Hannah looked around awkwardly. "How can I help you?" Still nothing. "Ok…I'm going to shut the door now." She said slowly._

"_Wait. Are you Steven Joseph's daughter?" His voice was almost trembling with anticipation. _

"_Yeah. What of it?"_

_His face light up with a great smile. _

"_I'm Jonah. I'm your brother." _

**4815162342**

"Hay Ana." Said Rue as her and Twinkle swung around a tree to meet the head tailie. She looked at them strangely.

"Hay." She responded awkwardly. The girls ignored this and Twinkle pushed on.

"So… some island we crashed on. Talk about weird right?"

"Yeah." She tried to get back to smashing the coconut on a stick but the girls just stood there and it was very distracting so she faced the situation.

"Look, you girls have never talked to me, except for ones when you invited me to a night performance of _The Wizard of Oz_ in slow motion. And now you just launch into awkward conversation?"

"That's us." Said Twinkle.

"We're spontaneous." Added Rue.

"Ok. Well I've got stuff to do so," She was trying to find a way out when Daisy walked up to the scene and she let out a sigh, someone she knew how to handle.

"Hay Hannah."

"Hay Lucy." It was Daisy's nickname for Ana Lucia. At first she had rejected it but now it was kind of homely and put a grin on her face.

"So you three got something secret thing going on that I don't know about?" Daisy asked mockingly.

"Oh yeah, we're buddies." Twinkle said. She patted Ana Lucia on the shoulder. Ana just looked at the hand like it was a foreign object, not meant to be there.

"Oh really?"

"Totally," Rue nodded. "Us and Ana, we're like this." She crossed two of her fingers and held them up for Daisy to see. "We even have an inside joke." Ana looked at Rue strangely.

"We do?"

"Now we do."

"What's the inside joke? Twinkle asked, feeling out of it.

"That is the inside joke."

"Our lack of inside joke is an inside joke.

"Yeah, we could even go one more and say this converation is an inside joke but then Daze would be in on it making it just a joke."

"Got it." Twinkle and Rue looked back at Daisy and Ana as they were satisfied with their conclusion. Ana turned to Daisy.

"We don't have an inside joke."

"I thought as much."

**4815162342**

"_So they just left you at the hospital?" Hannah said passing a cup of coffee to Jonah and sitting opposite him on the couch. He nodded, not at all emotional about the fact. "I don't know if this is what you want to hear but I wouldn't put it passed my parents, the humanitarian section of their brains were left out at the baby factory. I assume I got my concisions from my, I mean our grandparents on my dad's side, they were in the peace core and Greenpeace. They died a few years ago. So who have you grown up with?" _

"_I was adopted by the woman who manages the foster agency in New South Wales. Her name was Carol. She was my mum, but she died when I was ten, cancer. Because I knew everyone at the agency too well and because it is dam hard to get adopted if you are any older than seven I just kind of floated year to year from one of the people who worked at the agency to the other. Majority of them offered to keep me at theirs for good but I quite like the floating. I get restless in one place for too long. Where's your mum?" He peered around the room, he knew they were alone but he was hoping for some sign of a woman, a picture. _

"_My parents split a few years ago and trust me, it's the best thing they could ever have done for man kind. I swear having the pair of them in the same house was like having to baby sit two four year olds who were both constantly having tantrums. She lives in LA now with my aunt."_

"_And your dad?" He asked tentatively. _

"_He is away on business."_

"_What does he do?"_

"_Don't know."_

"_Where is he now?"_

_"Don't care. He stays out of my business, I stay out of his, it's a good system." _

_Jonah took a deep breath. He decided there was no nice way to say it that would make her feel better, or him for that matter so he just did it like ripping off a Band-Aid. _

"_Your father is a financial consultant, yes?" Hannah nodded. "I found your, I mean our dad, I followed him to the docs in Sydney because I missed him at his hotel. He works for a religious cult who um…well they kill people, they kill people and he manages the money to do it." He blurted out quickly. Hannah's heart was beating fast. It couldn't be. But it did explain a lot. The people that sometimes turned up on their door step. The fact that he was always away and never gave location and never spoke about his work, the reason why docs was dropping in every month even though they were very wealthy. _

"_Get out." She said hollowly. Jonah frowned at her. _

"_Look I am telling the truth I came all the way up here to protect my little sister."_

"_Little sister? I am not your little sister and even if I was you would think you would be grateful to get out of the pit that must be your existence and find your family but no you have to accuse us."_

"_Accuse your dad." They were both shouting by now. She was defensive, not really of her father but of the fact that if what he was saying was true she would need to face up to a lot of facts. Innocence is bliss after all. _

"_Who are you anyway, coming in to this house, drinking our coffee!"_

"_You offered it!"_

"_Yeah…Well…how dare you take it knowing what you were about to tell me. I was in perfect happy bliss with my book, sitting on the veranda, having MY coffee. How dare you take my happy day away from me!"_

"_Look I know your scared but you have to face the facts sometime Sis. Our dad, who, I suspect from what you have said, you don't like very much anyway, is a bad guy, or at least helping out bad people, which isn't all that better. Now I am going to call a woman at DOCs who is a friend of my mum's, because you would be stupid to leave with me, a guy you just met, and she will take us to there and figure it all out."_

"_Get out of my house NOW."_

"_Are you an idiot, your in danger, these people could turn on your family at any point."_

"_Oh yeah?" Daisy picked up the butchers knife from the kitchen. "Well guess who else is in danger? GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE."_

**4815162342**

**4815162342**

"Don't worry everyone, I'm a fireman." Rue panted between gasps for breath.

"What the hell dudes?"

Hurley stood over them. They looked at him upside down from the flat of their backs. He had been on a plane that had crashed. They laughed.

"Hurley dear," started Daisy seriously. "Please don't tell me that you've never realised how much funnier the world is from the flat of your back!" She wore an expression of outright shock. Hurley him self looked kind-of taken a back which made the girls laugh more.

"Come on try it." Twinkle urged, patting the grass beside her. Hurley shrugged and lowered him self down to lye next to her. He lay there.

"Guys nothing is happening." He said a grin coming over his face. "This is so stupid." He said starting to giggle. Before he knew it he was shouting out a big jovial laugh.

"Hay guys what's happening?" Charlie wandered over. Daisy beckoned while in hysterics.

"What's so bloody funny?" Charlie said thinking it was something about him.

"I'll tell you what's so funny." Pipped up Twinkle, all the funny things that had ever happened in her life were resurfacing and she had to tell the stories amongst fits of laughter. "There was this story that our foster dad, Mitch used to tell us. Remember Rue?" Rue nodded unable to articulate words as her face was contorted with silent giggles. "It was about when he was in the police rescue squad. They got called out to save a cat from an old ladies tree and afterwards the old lady made them tea and coffee and cake and on their way out the drive way they ran _over the cat_!"

The roar of laughter at this attracted the attention of anybody with in shouting distance. Tears ran down their faces. A few people as they checked out the scene joined in, enjoying the spontaneity even though they didn't know what had started it. Laughing is contagious. A few more stood back hesitantly with puzzled faces.

Claire looked on smiling, the old smile that had seemed to fade after she had been taken by Ethan. Hurley reached out his arms and carefully brought Aaron down to sit on his belly. He bounced the baby up and down on his stomach, which extracted a gorgeous little chuckle from him. Claire laughed. She lay down in-between Hurley and Charlie. Hurley passed over Aaron and she lowered the baby's tummy down and blew raspberries on the soft skin.

The three girls in the middle of the small crowd were a complete mess.

Screams of laughter weaved their way through the jungle. Giggles, shrieks, cackles, hoots and roars of it were making their way to the inner sections of the camp and causing many eyes to roll.

Sawyer was siting against a tree with an amused expression on his face as he listened to the half uttered stories of hilarity coming from the girls and their company lying on the ground. Kate came up to Sawyer with an expression of responsibility on her face.

"Why aren't you at the hatch you are soposed to be getting your meds" He just looked at her with a sly grin emerging from the corner of his mouth. She looked at the clump of dirt he had in his hand and decided to lay off the responsibility. "It's not worth trying Tex, you're a hopeless shot."

Kate said waltzing up beside him. He replied by dumping his handful of dirt in her hair. She got him back square in the face. As he picked up another huge clump of dirt she put her hands over her head protectively. Sawyer dropped the dirt, grabbed her around the waist a tackled her to the floor with his good arm. She didn't get defensive or pissed off to his amazement. She just rolled over and laughed with the crowd.

There were heaps of people lying around by now which was slightly dispersed when Vincent ran in and started running over the bodies and licking people's faces.

John, Eko and Sayid were sitting down on a log enjoying the atmosphere. Jack on the other hand was standing stiffly clearly in a predicament. He was too mature and filled with responsibility too let go and join in yet he knew that pretty close to the surface he did want to. So he consoled him self to having a go at Sawyer as Vincent climbed all over him.

"Wow you've finally made a friend Sawyer."

"Laugh it up with your hundreds of friends Doc." The cowboy shot back.

There was certain lightness about the banter. They both knew, or at least sensed that the other was joking. They had a quiet understanding where they took comfort in the normalcy of narking at each other and would miss it if they were ever rescued or separated.

**4815162342**

_After Jonah had made a speedy exit Daisy crumbled on to the shag carpet floor. She held her forehead in her hands, just looking wide eyed at her thoughts, trying to make sense of it all but not wanting to. Then she remembered the plane she was catching that night to Sydney for her week retreat in the capital city. A week she always left conveniently between the time when she told her dad she was leaving for the states and she told her mum she was arriving. A week to stay at a plush hotel, to shop, go out clubbing, laze around in room service bliss. She finished her packing, still shaken from her encounter with her maybe brother. What he said made sense but she refused to own up to the fact, she was going to the states in a week, she had half a year to figure out what to do next. _

_She bored the plane that night. As it was dark each plane seat was light with little lights over head, casting strange shadows on the passengers faces. The flight hostess checked her ticket. _

"_First Class, Yes Miss, just straight through this way." The Woman led her through the divider and pointed out her seat before returning to the other passengers. Daisy walked tiredly up to the plush lounge seat, which already had a neighbor comfortable. As she walked up he turned on his overhead light as he rummaged in his bag for something. _

"_You've got to be freakin' kidding me." She groaned fiercely. Jonah looked up from his bag. He looked at her first with shock and then curiosity. _

"_You reconsidered?" He asked surprised. _

"_My belief in a higher being that doesn't like me? Quite possibly." She forcefully sat down in the puffy layers of linen and rearranged her carry on bag. _

"_I can't believe your just going to let it go, you could be in real danger you-."_

"_How did you get a seat in first class? Last time a checked the government was giving out massive checks to foster agencies around the country." She asked almost accusingly. _

"_My uncle owns this airline. He is the reason the Agency is still open." She acknowledged this answer and then constructed a wall of linen between him and her. _

"_You're insignificant. You don't exist."_

"_You're annoying and a mental case." He gave up. Pissed off that all his efforts had to go to her._

_The plane trip was total silence interrupted every once and a while by a snide remark from both parties. As they landed and trudged off the plane Jonah tried to make an appeal to her. She was his sister, but Hannah was a stubborn thing, things always ended or started on her terms. He figured he'd give her a day or so too cool down and then he would drop in and try to reason with the beast. _


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter involves a insight into the backstory of Twinkle. we know that rue and Twinkle were together before the crash but are there things that even rue doesn't know about twinkles past? **

**hope you enjoy, please review. **

**written by Rue and Shell and Daisy**

**4815162342**

"_And in breaking news this morning, the teenage son of one of the state's wealthiest business tycoons has sadly passed away as the result of a tragic accidental poisoning at a party in Shellharbour on Sunday night. Melanie Wright reports."_

"_Come on girls!" Jo switched of the television and whisked the girls' breakfast bowls away._

"_Hay!" protested Francesca. "It's still half full." _

"_Always the optimist." Shell commented, rising form the table. _

"_You're gonna be late and I am not driving you today!" Their foster mum called from the kitchen as the girls made their way upstairs, grumbling about the injustices of the cruel world. _

"_Half an hour later they trudged through the school grounds and threw their bags down at the usual spot to find their friends having one hell of a serious discussion, not at all normal for a Monday morning. _

"_What's ha…ha…happening?" Yawned Francesca sleepily._

"_Oh my gosh!" Gasped Kim in hushed tones. "Haven't you heard?"_

"_Apparently not." Shell informed her irritably._

"_You guys know Mathew Zuchwood?"_

_Shell and Francesca exchanged glances and nodded. They certainly did know Mathew Zuchwood. _

"_Well he died. Last night. They reckon he swallowed some cleaning thing or something, can't remember but they reckon he grabbed it from the kitchen thinking it was something else and died from it." Kim looked almost excited, realized this and contained herself. The girls just gaped at Kim and for a few moments everyone was silent. Shell suddenly gasped and clapped her hand to her mouth. Her eyes widened as she turned to Francesca. _

"_They news! The news this morning said…Remember?"_

_Francesca nodded knowingly as discussion continued around them and they stood, speechless and in shock. Then the bell rang. It was all anybody spoke about for the rest of the day but Shell said nothing. She was so subdued that by the time they got home Francesca decided it was time they talked about it. _

"_Look, Shell, what happened to Zuchwood is bad ok? But you can't fret over it. I mean, do I need to remind you what sort of person he was?" _

_All evening Francesca kept up a steady flow of reassurance that it was just a bad thing, life was full of death, it was just a part of life. Shell said nothing as she climbed into bed that night and rolled over, facing the wall to hide the stream of tears running down her face._

**4815162342**

Rue, Twinkle and Daisy were sitting out side under the now named _Giggle tree_ going through Daisy's bag again. Daisy had a highly unusual way of packing, where a handful of batteries would turn up wrapped in a pair of socks or some lipstick would be found in a film canister so it was similar to pass the parcel for the girls.

Grinning, Daisy lifted the fake bottom of the bag to reveal some of her favourite books, a pack of cigarettes, a pocket-knife and another bottle of tea tree oil among other things.

Rue picked up the cigarettes and glared at Daisy demanding an answer. Daisy lifted her arms in defence.

"Look, my mother hates cigarettes almost as much as you do. She heard once that it pre-maturely ages your face and she wants to look twenty-five for the rest of her life. It was the main reason why my dad constantly smoked, just to piss her off. Anyway if she found a packet of smokes around my room she would be pissed and possibly not take me too the country club, where she goes off with her friends and I am stuck with being hit on my guys named Claude, who are wearing blazers in the middle of summer and have wanted to be accountants since they were six." Daisy took a breath. Rue thought this was good enough and continued to rummage.

Twinkle was already reading _Finding Cassie Crazy_. As she turned a page she looked up and giggled.

"This is so Sawyer's type of book." Rue picked up the lipstick.

"And this is so Sawyer's colour."

"Tonight?"

"Yep." They all grinned at each other. They suddenly jumped as Sawyer came into the clearing. They guiltily tried to make them selves busy.

"I thought I would find you guys up-side-down or something." He said. He spotted the contents of Daisy's bag strewn across the floor.

"Don't even think about it." Rue growled.

"It's ours." Twinkle added.

"It's mine." Corrected Daisy.

"Yeah that's what I said, ours." Said Twinkle confused. Sawyer grinned.

"Relax, I don't want your stuff Twinkle Toes." Twinkle went back to her book, well Daisy's book.

"Wait you have books?"

"Yep." Twinkle replied her nose buried in the book. " And this one is really good." Sawyer made a grab for it but Twinkle held it out of reach.

"Come on! I only wanna see the title."

"Bullshit." He had to face it, she was right there.

"I'm almost completely out of reading material, all I have left is the bible. Have you tried to read that thing? It's really boring."

"Go cry me a river." Twinkle said now beating a rhythm for Daisy and Rue as they broke out into song.

"Oh great. Good job Stardust, go start another dam sing along."

The situation started to get out of hand when Rue got up and tried to teach Daisy some Justin Timberlake moves and Sawyer just happened to out stretch his leg at an appropriate moment.

She fell face first into the soft moist earth. Hearing the sudden furious outburst of swearing Daisy turned quickly to see what happened. She managed in the clutter to trip over her own feet and slam right into Sawyers back.

"Son-of-a-bitch!" Sawyer was knocked forward by the sudden blow.

"Yeah I would say that just about sums it up." Rue growled picking up a handful of dirt and throwing it hard into Sawyer's face.

"Son-of-a-_bitch_!" He shouted louder, scratching at his eyes. "Rue you-," He started towards the fired up girl but another one got in his way.

"Don't you dare Sawyer, you started this." She stumbled to her feet a little too quickly, vertigo took hold and she spun around and slammed head first into Sawyer's ribs. He gave a yep.

It turned into a total free-for-all of biting scratching, hair pulling and lots of swearing.

Twinkle, in true Twinkle style, sat unconcerned, nose in the book, all ready truly engrossed by the story.

**4815162342**

_**Three weeks before the death of Mathew Zuchwood.**_

_Shell sat on the park bench waiting, her knees tucked up to her chest and arms wrapped around them, trying to keep warm. A figure swaggered towards her and parked itself next to her. _

"_Bout time, it's freezing!" Shell greeted him._

"_Yeah well whose stupid idea was it to meet in the park in this weather?"_

"_Aww you're so cute when you're grumpy." She said patronizingly, leaning into kiss him. He tried to go further but she pulled away._

"_Anyway," She continued. "You know how my parents feel about you." _

"_But they're not even your parents. Who cares?"_

"_They're as good as and I do care. Besides it's not just that, She would murder me if she knew."_

_The person snorted._

"_Franny? What the hell could that loser do?_

_She stood up and began to walk away._

"_Oh come on, it was a joke! Look, I'm sorry ok?"_

_She felt his hands snake around her waist and turned to face him._

"_Look, I don't expect you to understand but Fran is my only family. She's all I've got."_

"_And what about me?" He asked menacingly, pulling her so close that they were nose to nose. She maintained a frown for a few moments before giving in._

"_You are a bad influence, Mathew Zuchwood."_

_He laughed and kissed her again._

_**4815162342**_

It was close to lunch and Daisy and Rue were nursing cuts and bruises. Any injuries that had been inflicted by Sawyer were pure self-defence. He had let up and left the scene. None of the girls would speak to him. Daisy and Rue because they were furious with him and Twinkle because she was reading, subsequently she was cold shouldering everyone.

Daisy fished out some arnica from her bag and smeared some on her bruises and handed it to Rue saying:

"It reduces bruising."

"I dunno I'm wonder whether we should take him down the guilt path."

"Oh Yeah, good point." Said Daisy wiping arnica off her swelling eye. "This ones gunna be a great multi coloured one."

"Yeah actually that's swelling nicely." Rue commented, inspecting the eye.

The two girls lapsed into silence. Twinkle turned a page and giggled at its contents. Rue picked up the bottle of red nail polish and started to paint.

"Damnit!" Rue vented her frustration as she missed her little toe and smeared red nail varnish along the side of her foot. Twinkle didn't even look up from her book but commented.

"You always do that."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Bell."

"Hay where'd you get that anyway?"

Rue looked at the ground and mumbled.

"Shannon's bag."

"Wait, you stole from the dead?" Daisy blurted out.

"Well yeah but its kind of a tradition. This nail polish belonged to Joanna, a woman who drowned while going for a swim like a few days after we crashed here. Shannon found her nail polish and claimed it for herself. (Sawyer found the rest.) But yeah see it's a tradition. If I die you guys can rip it from my cold hands."

"I feel like painting my nails. Does anyone have a gun?" Daisy asked. Twinkle put a stop to it.

"We are not killing each other for nail polish. If there was a ham sandwich or a computer with Garage-band then I may possibly relent but until that day we are not joining the _I murdered someone club_ that is forming on this island."

Daisy let go of the dream. Rue finished painting her toenails and put the lid on the nail polish. As she did she bumped an oncoming bruise.

"The lipstick thing really doesn't seem like enough anymore." Pondered Rue. Twinkle turned in.

"We could trash his tent." She said. He had committed no foal against Twinkle but her ears always pricked at the sound of mischief, she could hear it from a mile away.

"Oh how about burn his clothes?" Daisy suggested.

"Steal his glasses?" Twinks said and emitted another giggle at the thought. Rue was keeping quiet.

"Cut big holes in his tent."

"Raid his stash."

"Raid his stash but just take the porn."

"No. I have a better idea." Rue spoke up. As they ran, Sawyer walked past and they all slowed down. You wouldn't have been able to find three more suspicious looking girls.

"Where's the fire?"

"You'd better not let Sam here you say that." Which was more of a warning from Rue than a quip. Sam was a man who lived a little up the beach and was a very obsessive fireman in his previous life off the island. Daisy didn't wait to here what Sawyer had to say, she grabbed the other girls and ran away down the beach.

"Later Sawyer, business to attend to." Sawyer smirked and went on his way. He had learnt that most of the time with the girls it was better not to know.

The three girls hid behind a tree and watched until he was a far way down the beach before creeping back out of the trees and slipping stealthily into his tent.

Twinkle let her eyes adjust to the darkness while Daisy snatched up a pair of jeans and held them out to Rue in between a finger and a thumb as though they were something poisonous.

"Oh your not?" Twinkle exclaimed as she realized what they were doing. An identical, evil grin was plastered to each one of the girls face's as Rue carefully unscrewed the bottle and slipped a few good dollops on the back of the jeans. They sat back to admire their work. Then they stuffed the jeans in one of the messy corners of his tent and scurried out.

**4815162342**

"_What was that about?"_

_Shell had been nestled amongst the bookshelves in the library when she saw Francesca come in, speak to Mathew briefly and then leave. _

_He laughed as he recounted the conversation. _

"_She threatened you?" _

"_I always thought she was…" He caught the murderous glare Shell was giving him. "…Very intelligent and observant." He finished with a grin. _

_Shell tutted disapprovingly. _

"_Well it wouldn't kill you to be a little more discreet about us would it? I mean what was with your comment yesterday? 'wanna root sometime?' How tasteful!" _

_He laughed again, causing the crow-like librarian to shoo them out of the library._

"_Relax babe, she doesn't suspect a thing," He reassured her once they were outside. "Now we've got a whole fourty-five minuets left of this period, wanna find an empty classroom? Or here is fine…I'm not fussy." _

_Shell rolled her eyes and whacked him with her math textbook. _

"_Grow up."_

_They made their way down through the student car park to the vacant reserve. It was a hot spot for the school's smoking community but was surprisingly empty. Shell sat down on the grass and spread her math work out in front of her. _

"_Man, do you have to do that now? You can be such a nerd sometimes."_

"_If I do it now, I'm free to do what I like tonight." Shell explained pointedly._

"_Yeah right, free."_

"_What's that supposed to mean?" She inquired putting down her book._

"_Well you're never free are you? You're always trying to please someone or hiding from people coz you know they won't approve. _

"_Exactly! I know they won't approve."_

"_Who cares?!"_

_Here we go again, she thought. Always the same argument. Didn't he realize that if she could find another way she would. She was silent for a moment before responding. _

"_What do you propose we do? Run away?" _

"_Why not?"_

"_Oh come on Mathew we're not ten." _

"_No I'm serious. Let's go. I can scam some money off the bastard that calls himself my father and then we can leave all this shit behind. Stuff school and families and crap. No one will miss me and you don't even know how much longer you'll be here anyway." _

"_And where exactly are we gonna go?"_

"_Anywhere! Everywhere! Total, bloody freedom."_

**4815162342**

"Sawyer it is, well I don't have a watch but lets say five in the morning, what are you doing in our tent." Rue groaned, rolling over to turn her back to the open tent door.

"You know Sawyer we need to go to the toilet in pairs but you don't." Daisy mumbled turning over to a part of the tent that the light couldn't hit either. He said nothing but grabbed three things from the tent and walked back out. The girls on the other hand noticed nothing and continued to sleep as they all thought this was merely a part of their dreams.

**4815162342**

"Morning Claire." Twinkle said as the girls walked past Claire's tent towards the kitchen.

"You mean afternoon." She said as she lay Aaron down for his nap.

"This island needs some party animals we just happened to volunteer." They continued to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of banana's and a bottle of water each and then headed back down the beach to their tent to grab reading material for breakfast.

"Hay guys have you seen my lyrics book?" Twinkle asked, a quickening tension in her voice.

"No but do you have any idea where my scrapbook is?" Rue asked mirroring Twinkle.

"Oh jeaze where the hell is my tea tree oil!" Daisy squealed. Twinkle and Daisy continued to rummage around the tent but Rue had a pretty good idea where their rat was.

"Sawyer stop drooling. Saliva never wooed any girl. Not even ones with limited options." Rue said and she waltzed into Sawyer's tent. He stopped watching Kate walk away down the beach and quickly followed Rue inside is own tent.

"May I ask you what you're rummaging around in my tent for?" His southern accent stronger than usually in the heat of the afternoon.

"Where is our stuff Sawyer? I don't really care why you took it but you did take it and it is very private and you know very well that if Twinks thinks of a good song and doesn't have her book or if Daze gets stung by something and doesn't have her oil, I am going to be the one getting the first class PMS treatment from them so just tell me where the stuff is." She continued to rummage.

"You ain't gonna find nothing in there, Frannie."

"What the hell did you just- you read my scrapbook?" Sawyer stood in front of her with a smug grin on his face.

"Oh that's it." Rue unexpectedly leapt on him and started smashing clenched fists across his face. She had tackled him to the ground and was sitting on his chest while slapping him over the face.

"Give- our- stuff- back!" She said, a hit for each word.

"Get off me. You psycho."

"Yeah well I'm a psycho with good aim." She slammed him another one right on the cheekbone. Sawyer rolled her off him and with a well placed hand on her head, held her at arms length. The girls ran out of their tent after hearing the, _I'm in the middle of bashing someone_ tone in Rue's shouts. They grabbed her as she still tried to jump at Sawyer who stood up and wiped a drip of blood from his lip.

"Sawyer I though we taught you how to defend yourself against Rue?" Daisy asked as she held a now-calming Rue.

"She started it, just jumped on me!" He defended himself before they had even accused.

"Oh come on we are not going to do the _no he started it, no she started it _thing I mean come on." Twinkle said trying to reason with them.

"Yeah wanna be a little immature." Rue mumbled. "Anyway he did start it!"

"Oh come on." Sawyer shouted out.

"You want to know where your tea tree oil is? Or your lyrics book Twinks?" The girl's looks started to change into wild stares of hate. "He has them."

"Hay Cat Woman wanna tell me about my jeans?" Rue looked down knowing that that was her fault.

"Hay Sawyer wanna tell me about tripping me at the Giggle Tree?"

Kate heard the shouts and ran back down the beach.

"What's going on?" Kate shouted over them and they all went silent.

"I was right, it was them." Sawyer pointed out to Kate.

"Tattle tail." Twinkle spat in their defense.

"He stole our stuff."

"You ruined my jeans and in case you didn't know K-mart ain't just around the corner."

"Sawyer!" Kate said. "Their teenage girls give it a break."

"Their criminals." Sawyer spat.

"Oh! Well which one are you, the pot or the kettle?"

**4815162342**

_Shell crossed the road to the train station and saw him already there waiting for her with a backpack. She took a deep breath, suddenly felling very nervous. She shouldn't have let it go this far, then she wouldn't be in this ridiculous situation in the first place._

"_Hey," He greeted her with excitement in his eyes and kissed her on the cheek. "You ready?"_

_She pulled away from him and looked up at his face seriously. _

"_Um, Mathew, I'm…uh…not so sure about this."_

"_What do you mean? This is what we talked about."_

"_Yeah I know but I think I've changed my mind." She stared firmly at the ground, too afraid to look him in the eye. It took him along time to reply._

"_Changed you mind? How the hell can you change your mind?"_

"_I just think that it's not the right thing to do."_

"_How can't it be the right thing to do?"_

"_Maybe running away will fix some things but it'll create bigger problems too. I know it sounds appealing but the novelty will wear off and then what?"_

"_Who cares?"_

"_That's your answer to everything! Who cares! I care and I have a family that care."_

"_A family! Well that's convenient! What about those of us who aren't so lucky? What about those of us with families like mine? What am I soposed to do."_

"_I think you should stay."_

"_What and continue hiding in car parks and libraries just to see you?"_

"_We could be honest with people."_

"_Go to hell."_

_Shell took a step backwards as a train pulled into the platform down below. _

"_Look what you do is up to you but I'm not getting on that train."_

"_He looked at her hopelessly for a moment before anger got the better of him. _

"_I knew this would happen! I knew it was only a matter of time! You're a bitch! You're nothing but a filthy slut. You use people to get what you want but don't give a dam about them once their down!"_

_She had head enough and turned to leave but he grabbed her arm and swung her around, pinning her against the wall. _

"_Oh, no, you don't get to walk away!"_

"_Mathew, let me go." She pleaded, frightened and all too aware of how much bigger he was than her._

_He didn't let go but instead held her arms by her sides and he kissed her so roughly her head was knocked back against the brick wall. She struggled to break his grip on her wrists but he was too strong. When he did let go he pressed right up against her trapping her just as effectively with the sheer height and width. His fingers fumbled with the buttons of her dress and she scratched and fought at his skin with her fingernails. Getting frustrated with buttons he began tearing her dress and when she struggled more violently still he hit her across the face, one, twice, three times. _

"_STOP! STOP PLEASE!" She screamed and Mathew froze, looking up at his own hand, ready to strike as though he couldn't understand why it was there. He took one glance at the girl cowering against the wall and ran. _

_Twinkle walked through the front door with absolutely no recollection of how she got there. She stumbled up the stairs and entered her bedroom._

"_How was the walk back from music lessons? Now I know it is getting darker and colder every time you walk home so don't complain to me about it this week. Though I do agree with you, how dare the world spin on it's axis, lets just let America be icy all year, sure the red necks will turn blue but they do really need to get with the times, black in the new pink and blue is the new red. I wander what that means for the jail prisoner's overalls. Shell?" _

_Shell sat on her bed as Francesca hurried over to see what was wrong. She was trying to think but her head hurt, it was hard. She was trying to figure out how much she would tell Francesca. She heard her own voice talking but couldn't remember deciding what to say. _

"_I was walking home…and he…he followed me…I ran…he grabbed me." She made it up as she went along, muttering something about a police car scaring the attacker off but then Francesca asked who it was, She said the name without meaning to. _

"_Zuchwood."_

**4815162342**

It was dark and Sawyer was already more than pissed off with the days events, so when he walked into his tent to find Rue and Twinkle holding the jeans again and a bottle of yet more nail polish, he really wasn't to blame for jumping to conclusions.

"You Get Out!" He balanced on the edge of shouting.

"Ooo angry voice." Daisy commented as she dripped some more on to the jeans."

"Get Out Or I Will Throw You Out!" He shouted.

"Oh shut your face, we're being nice, I thought you would have notice the subtle signs." Said Rue.

"Like no evil laughter." Suggested Daisy as she held up the jeans to Sawyer. He examined them. They had found some blue nail polish and covered up their previous handy work. A smirk came over his face at the strange way their minds worked.

"Go to bed."

"We're square?" Asked Rue.

"Go on." He said with an air of affirming Rue's question.

"Night Grandpa."

"Remember one glass is for drinking water and one is for your teeth." Daisy sung as her and Rue clambered out into the warm night air. Sawyer called out.

"Why?"

"Because you don't want to drink your teeth." Daisy said obviously. Rue answered his question.

"Just take what the gods have given you Sawyer. Keep in mind though, that if you ever steal from me again I will drug you, shave off all your hair and tattoo my tag on your forehead." She said sweetly before they both skipped off down the beach.

**481516****2342**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter has no flashbacks, but next chapter is leading into more juicy flashbacks. The first part of this chapter is our verison of the hunting party episode. done a little differntly. and then some fun stuff afterwards. hope you like. please review. **

Jack was grabbing a water bottle and his bag quickly as he was about to venture off to find an obsessed father who had just knocked John out and locked them both in a safe. The others were reluctant to go look for him because it was not like he had been taken; he left voluntarily on the noble and paternal quest to find his son. The others were in the agreement that Michael didn't want to be found and was not going to be persuaded. Jack on the other hand was being stubbornly loyal and refused to give up on him. For these reasons he was already really pissed off so when Charlie came up to him and asked him where the girls were it was the straw the broke the camel's back.

"Charlie why would I know where they are? They are probably up a tree or something. I have things to do ok." Charlie didn't go away.

"Look man you don't get it." Charlie exasperated worriedly. "No one has seen them all day." Jack looked up at Charlie. "Everybody thinks they're with someone else. No one has seen them."

Lock jogged up from asking someone else. "Does he know?" Lock asked Charlie. Charlie really didn't want to talk to Lock at all but unfortunately a situation like this had to go past domestic disputes.

"Nah."

Jack dropped his bag as Sawyer walked past to his tent. He run up to Sawyer and slammed his back against a tree. Sawyer had a fierce expression on his face even though he had no idea what was going on.

"Sawyer where are the girls?"

"What the hell are you talking about hothead?" Sawyer growled pushing Jack off him and advancing on him. But Jack didn't back up.

"The girls where the hell are they you son-of-a-bitch." Deep down Jack knew as well as anyone who had seen them, that Sawyer would never do anything to the girls but Jack was tired and stressed about the hatch and Michael and Walt, another catastrophe was not what he needed.

"The girls? How the hell would I know? They're probably off swinging on daisy chains and singing Kumbaya. The fact that you can't keep an eye on em' doc is not my problem." Sawyer spat. He pushed Jack away thinking that this was end of discussion. Jack charged up to have another go at him but Lock stood in his way and called after Sawyer in his rational voice.

"No one has seen them all day and it's getting darker now. You were up from dawn as I remember it and out for most of the day. We're not inferring anything on you Sawyer but you spend a lot of time with girls, they trust you. We were just wondering if you have any ideas on where they might be." As Lock's speech folded out the look on Sawyer's face changed from pissed to worried as he realized that he had not seen the girls all day either. Oh shit.

"I... ah," For the first time in who knows how long Sawyer had no words. No smart comments, no witty come backs, just worry and something not very familiar that felt like guilt.

"I…um," He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know where they are." Lock nodded. Sawyer turned around and ran into the jungle. Jack didn't believe him and tried to run after him, but Lock stopped Jack with a firm hand on his chest. Jack looked a Lock fiercely.

"Jack do you really want to fight with him? Or do you want to find them?" Jack nodded. The band of Lock, Jack and Kate grabbed their bags and water bottles and headed out blindly into the jungle. They had only spent a few minuets submerged in the darkness when a rustling came steadily closer. They all stopped dead bracing them selves.

Sawyer appeared through the brush with his big flashlight and a gun. He started walking into the darkness ahead of them.

"What are we waiting for an invitation? Lets crash this tea party." Jack looked at Kate in a _this is the guy your in a love triangle with?_ Way and followed him into the darkness.

**4815162342**

Rue woke. It was dark and she could not remember a thing. Her hair was straggled over her face as he pushed it back she felt something wet and warm plastering her hair. Blood. She sat up. There was nothing around her, just brush and trees and thick black darkness. She didn't know whether to call out for someone or stay hidden.

Then suddenly there was a light behind her and she turned to see who or what it was. She could not make out the face but she could hear them, two men and a girl.

"Do we have to do it this way?" said the girl.

"You know the answer to that Alex." Said one of the men. A gruffer, gravely voice interjected.

"The last ones awake and the rest are on their way." Then some feet shuffled over into a bush and she heard a whisper.

"Shhh, make one sound." Then the foot steps came over to her and roughly lifted Rue to her feet. She struggled and kicked and bit at the man. "God this ones feisty."

"Get your hands off me." Rue spat at the man. He pushed her towards what looked like the acting leader in the group. He was a big man, with a potbelly and a bald patch at the top of his head and a fuzzy, gray beard. He spoke.

"Hello Francesca. I am sorry about all this but it's part of the plan."

"Hay baldy," She thrashed in his grip. "We survived a plane crash, that is hard enough to deal with, with out you guys coming in, murdering and tampering with us. We don't give a shit about your plan. So would ya just leave us alone?!" The bearded man started laughing.

"If you keep up that feisty edge Francesca we maybe forced to keep you with us, wouldn't that be fun?" He bound her hands and wrapped a tie around her mouth and threw her to the ground where she hit an object and it groaned. She looked to her side and through the darkness could make out two figures both tied and bound and both glad to see her.

**4815162342**

Lock held the torch in front of his head and spun around trying to continue with the vague trail they had picked up hours before. He looked back at Jack.

"I've lost the trail." He sighed.

"You don't just lose a trail, you just don't want to find them."

"Oh that's right Jack, I've been running through the jungle at night for hours because I don't care about the girls." As Lock and Jack argued Kate walked over and put a hand on Sawyer's shoulder.

"Hay, it's ok, we'll find them." He looked down at her with a _will we?_ look.

"You know what happens if we go back with out them John, that will be on you and on me." Jack argued. A voice appeared from the darkness.

"Your exactly right Jack." The four spun around to see a man standing in a clearing holding a gun. There was a stunned silence out of all the things they expected to happen next, this was not one of them.

"Who are you?" Jack demanded as he tried to stare the man down even though it was next to pitch black. Sawyer looked the man up and down and exhaled through gritted teeth.

"He's the son-of-a-bitch that shot me on the raft." He raised his gun to shoot the man that had been the cause of his delightful trip to hell and back concerning his sholder.

"Why don't you point the gun down?" The bearded man said. Sawyer obviously didn't listen and moved to pull the trigger as he did a bullet, shot from somewhere in the bush, brushed past his ear and blood started to seep from the minor wound. Jack, Locke and Kate serched the darkness, trying to figure out who the shot came from.

"It'd probably be best if we just keep our hands at our sides, lady and gentlemen." The gruff and some how jolly man suggested.

He got all the men who were hidden in the surrounding shrubbery to light beakers and he made a speech about how the island was not their's, the survivours were only there because him and his people let them be there. This all washed straight over Sawyer. His ear was kaneing and his head was spinning with thoughts of Rue, Twinkle and Daisy raceing through his splitting headache. He was awaken from his own worries by the man shouting for someone to bring something out and there they were.

Two men pushed the three struggleing girls out into the clearing. Each looked tired, dirty and scared. They all had coth tied around their mouths and rope binding their hands.

"They were wondering around the back streets so we thought we would pick them up, not a nice place back there." Sawyer moved to the girls but the man quickly grabbed the nearest girl from the other men, Twinkle and put a gun to her head. Sawyer stopped in his tracks and Kate put a hand on his sholder to calm him slightly.

"We've got a misunderstanding, Jack -- you're people, my people. So listen carefully. Right here there's a line. You cross that line, we go from misunderstanding to… something else. Now give me your weapons, I will give you the girls then you can turn around and go home." He said like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"No." Jack replied deffiently. "You have Walt and most of the tail section. No." The man pushed the gun into Twinkle's neck, she winced.

"Sick son of a bitch." Sawyer muttered under his breath as he saw the fear in Twinkle's eyes.

"Now, Now Ford don't get hostile. If Jack thinks he could live with two of these girls on his concience you would still get to keep one." Something seemed to clench and unclench in his gut. A conjured chuckle came over Jack.

"You wouldn't."

"I wouldn't?" He pushed Twinkle's hair back and pointed the gun at different places like he was decieding the best place, at this Rue cracked. She back kicked, the guy holding her, in the groin. As he cowered from the pain she ran, bound hands and all to Twinkle and the bearded man, she kicked, scrached and hit him, anything she could do but all he did was push Twinkle over to the cowering man who grabbed her with the force left in him and the beared man grabbed Rue.

"Ah, the spirited Cesca." He put the gun in her back and leaned into her. "I will grant you that one, next time one of these people will take it for you." She continued to struggle but her feet stayed firmly on the ground.

"So will you give up your wepons, not cross the line? Jack?" Jack stood still glareing at him at a definent pose, he was not going anywhere.

"I didn't want it to come to this."

"Come to-," Lock asked.

"Choose." The mans voice went sour and dank. The sly jolly tinge was gone. It had become cold.

"Choose?" Kate exsasperated. "We can't-," The tension was building.

"Or the fiesty Francesa," He tapped her on the head with the gun and then slammed her to the ground.

"We're not going to choose!" Lock raised his voice with the tension that was streaching them as the scene spun.

"The lovely Michelle." He pushed her to the ground to join her friend.

"You son of a- don't do this." Jack said.

"Or Hannah Houdini, who seems to have undone the ropes behind her back" He shoved the gun hard into her back and pushed her to meet Rue and Twinkle.

"Choose." He said. Tears started to fall down Kate's face.

"Stop it, we can't."

"James," He pointed to Sawyer. "Who?" Sawyer just looked at them he was unable to do anything but controll the erg to rip the man limb from limb. Kate was crying and she shouted to Jack.

"Do something." And he did. He walked up to the man and dropped his gun at the man's feet. A smile came over the man's face. The others proceeded to do the same.

"Finaly caught on." The jollyness was back in his voice. The feeling was that being that straight was strange and unnatral for him, he didn't like it anymore that they did.

"Till next time." He said and bowed out of the clearing. The blazing tourches went out and left them in the thick darkness. There was the same thought raceing through each of their minds. _Choose? Who would I have choosen?_

**4815162342**

"Hit me." Pronounced Twinkle. Daisy smiled in a patronising way.

"You have four cards maybe you wanna stay." She looked at Daisy dubiously.

"Rue do I wanna stay?" Twinkle was eyeing off Daisy.

"How the hell am I soposed to know. Hay do you remember the days when we only played Go Fish?" Rue reminised and Twinkle joined her.

"Yeah I miss thoses days." Daisy sighed with frustration at the two girls.

"That was yesterday. Come on guys you have been begging me to teach you a new game for a week."

"Well if we knew that learning a new game was like this im guessing we would have held out on the begging." Rue clarrified.

"Come on! The prospect of if you win, you actually get something doesn't appeal to you?"

"Anything that I could win off anyone on this island I could steal a lot quicker." Twinkle said logicly.

"Fine." Daisy gave up. "Well what do you want to do now?"

"Hay Twinks have you ever heard of a game called Go Fish?"

"Sounds femiler."

"Do you want to play?"

"Do I ever!"

At this Daisy gave up and sunk a little further in to the sand.

**4815162342**

Kate walked away from Sawyer, leaving him with his stash of stolen guns in the warm night air. She left him to resonate in what she had said. He was trying to figgure out if what she said was true or not. Did he want people to hate him. He did once, but now? The thoughts came to a screeching halt as three figgure charged out of the darkness. He had been waiting for this.

He had tried to predict what they would do. He came to the conclusion that Twinkle would complain, Daisy would pout and Rue would grab a chunk of hair and pull.

The girls came closer the first thing he heard was Twinkle.

"I can't belive you did that. Messing everything up. I mean sure Lock and Jack were to doing a full _West Side Story_, around those guns but everything was working for you. Friends, is that it you just don't want friends!" As Twinkle ranted Rue strolled around and wacked Sawyer over the head. The three girls sat on the sand infront of his seat as he pollished a gun.

"You got anything to add to Doctor Jeckle and Mr Hide over here Daze?" Sawyer asked Daisy. But she just stuck her bottem lip a little further out.

"No, I am not speaking too you."

"Too right Daisy, power to the people." Twinkle supported."Sawyer do you need help? Like phyciatric help?"

Rue continued."Because you know we can get Libby down here."

"Libby! Oh brillient, we can shrink this all out of your system." Twinkle agreed excitedly.

"I don't know guys." Daisy said. "How many times in one day could he stand being asked, _how to you feal about that_ before cracking?"

"Theres only one way to find out."

"Rue! If he cracks that would be classified as a step backwards in the mental department." Twinkle explained but Rue just groaned.

"Come on Twinks I am desperate for entertainment and Sawyer losing his mind would satisfy my needs perfectly."

"Well then your appatite should be fine because you just saw it. Remember, it involved guns."

"Hay y'all don't let me destract you from decieding what you will do with me but was there anything specific that you came down here for?"

"Yes there was." Daisy said. "I am pretty sure the word dickhead was involved."

"Got it." Sawyer growled. They were really getting to him tonight. The four opinons he cared about on the island, in the space of 10 minuets had told him he was scum. "Anything else?"

It was an hour befor the girls eventually dragged Twinkle away after several attempts to set up a Sawyer whatching system and even moving their tent closer (If that was possible) so that they would anoy any more angst out of him befor he could do something that was actually dangerous and not just moronic.

**4815162342**

Twinkle's issues with Sawyer and his new stash of guns had started to rub off on the other girls, Rue especially. Every once and a while a snide comment about laundering guns would be popped to the conversation. Sawyer hated it.

He heard bright chatting coming closer and gritted his teeth as he polished the gun in his hand.

"You're a dickhead Sawyer." Rue concluded.

"Yeah." Daisy agreed. " I mean we knew it all along but now that you've gone public it just makes us look bad."

"Don't you got a sing-a-long to get to?" He said agitatedly. But the girls ignored this and made them selves comfortable on the sand. There was a minuet of calm silence that was broken by Rue grabbing for the gun now sitting on the chair that he had been polishing. Sawyer snatched it up before she could reach it.

"Na ah Kanga. Last time you girls got hold of a weapon we played hostage and criminals. May I add I still haven't got back my stash of tampons."

"Yeah but we still don't get why you have a hoard of tampons. I mean booze we get-" Rue said. Twinkle continued.

"Med's we get." followed by Daisy.

"Those little face masks you use when you sleep, we are even starting to get our heads around but tampons come on!"

"Hay once a month they are great bargaining tools." He looked at Rue and Twinkle with a chuckle, remembering the great chocolate Swap of the forth week on the island where Twinkle and Rue were forced to give part of their chocolate stash and a Dolly magazine to get some tampons after which they filled his shoes and the pockets of all his clothes with wet sand.

"Oh on the subject of tampons and booze, my nose is becoming infected." Daisy turned her head to one side displaying her nose stud, which was going red and a little swollen. "I need some alcohol to put on it so it gets better and doesn't scar." One of the first things Sawyer had done after settling into not being the unconscious guy with the shot shoulder, was grabbing a couple of the bottles of alcohol from the hatch pantry and filling up the little liqueur bottles from the plane which had dried up from Twinkle partying and Boon dieing and well he had to face it, personal usage.

"So it doesn't scar?" Sawyer snorted. If Sawyer had known how to speak through eyes which he didn't because he was a guy he would have been able to see the billions of silent, amused, messages passing from Rue to Twinkle. Daisy knew exactly what was going on and shot them a look to shut the silent gossip.

Sawyer looked at the stud in the firelight.

"Yeah ok" He said slowly. "I'll give you some but don't go telling Jacko the mobile R.B.T. I'm not supposed to give booze to minors for at least another couple of months.

Rue made a face, Twinkle grinned widely and Daisy tried to hide a triumphant smile.

Sawyer pulled a bottle out of his pocket and handed it to Daisy.

"You carry them in your pocket?" Asked Rue incredulously.

"How often do you need a drink?" Questioned Twinkle.

Daisy opened the tiny bottle of vodka, she quickly took a swig and passed it on to Twinkle who took a sip from the half empty bottle, offered it to Rue, who scrunched up her nose and shook her head, Twinkle shrugged and sculled the rest.

"Oops. All gone." Daisy snorted with laughter. "But really I do need one for my nose. Look s'all red and sore" Twinkle giggled and Rue rolled her eyes at the both of them.

"Wont do it again." Confirmed Twinkle nodding.

Being a conman Sawyer felt kind of stupid that he had not predicted that. He was usually pretty good at reading people and he was not going to let it happen again.

"Na ah Sir Toby." Sawyer held his hands up as Rue grinned at the reference. Though as he did this he made his lap holding one little bottle free, which Daisy took full advantage of. She lunged forward grabbed it and then fell back to her seat on the same leg. Sawyer scrabbled forward but he was too late. Half of it was gone and with in half a second flat the second half of the drink was down Twinkle's throat.

Twinkle and Daisy roared with laughter. Rue was looking on in irritation mixed with pity.

"What the hell?!" Sawyer said crossly. "You do realize that there is no rehab center I can send you girls to! Oh and Rue I would say _good control_ but I know that you have a super intolerance for anything but juice." He cuffed her across the head.

Both Daisy and Twinkle snorted with laughter.

"Oh Sawyer." Continued Daisy "Yeah about my nose, I need…"

"No chance girl."

"But I need…"

"The bar is officially closed."

"Son-of-a-bitch." Daisy commented, it was a rather a good impression of Sawyer. She struggled to her feet. "I'll go ask Jack for some then." She told Sawyer smiling smugly. Sawyer watched her go, looking indignantly after her. Twinkle was building a sand castle unconcernedly while Rue watched, smiling slightly at Twinkle as she struggled slightly and accidentally knocked down the entire left wing of her palace. There was a snort of laughter from Daisy a little way up the beach as she tripped over a piece of driftwood. Sawyer frowned.

"That was like only one bottle each!" Exclaimed Rue. "Surely they shouldn't be falling over yet."

"Actually they are holding it pretty well." Sawyer said taking one out for him self. "It's a little concoction of mine." He took a swig.

"Oh how debonair of you." He offered her a bottle. "Call your self a responsible adult." She said amazed at his different approach to her drinking than the other two.

"I never did." She hit him on the arm with out looking over.

**4815162342**


	5. Chapter 5

Rue and Twinkle were sitting cross-legged with Libby on the sand. Libby was telling them soothingly to breath in and out and to forget about everything, take in no distractions.

"Hay Twinks there's a rescues boat!" Twinkle opened her eyes quickly while Rue kept hers firmly closed. "Ha distracted you."

"Oh shut up Rue I am trying to get meditated."

"You seem to be getting distracted." Said Rue a grin broadening on her face with her eyes still closed.

"Funny about that it may have something to do with the fact that every time I start to get into it you shout out something." Rue finally opened her eyes to look at Twinkle.

"I am sorry Twinks. Shouting out _Oh look the conservatorium of music_ was probably a bit much."

"Yeah maybe." Twinks said bitterly sarcastic. Libby looked at both of them.

"Should I continue or would you to like to have a counseling session instead of a meditation." They were about to answer her when Daisy ran up slightly out of breath.

"Duys-,"

"I think she means guys." Twinkle tried to translate. But Daisy got back her breath.

"Guys, I finally got him to agree." As she said this a sigh came from Libby.

"I assume this is the end of our session."

"Oh we feel very relaxed now Libby I think we will be good for today, thanks." Twinkle gave Libby an excited grin before the three girls rushed down the beach.

**4815162342**

The door of the safe was opened, with a lurch and the girls spilled into the small room. The man called Henry was sitting on the floor, his back leaning against the wall, his legs pressed up against his chest.

"Don't try…" Sawyer tried for a word. "Don't try anything. K?" It wasn't a question that needed an answer. Sawyer leaned against the frame of the door keeping a watching glare on the man.

"So you're an Other." Twinkle stated. And waited for his nodding head which never came. It had already been confirmed that this man was an Other, by Sayid who had found the passport of the real Henry Gale. The man, whoever he was, was obviously sick of being interrogated by person after person.

Rue was still grinning from the happiness of wearing down Sawyer into scoring them an interview with the mystery man thus getting her own way and Daisy was sitting dubiously to the side like she was a sly detective sussing the place out.

She remembered what the Others had done to her and her group. She remembered the sharp pain on the back of her head and then the sudden darkness. She remembered the kids that had been taken and Cindy. Cindy had tried so hard to take care of her, protect her. They did it. And if he was one of them, he did it. Daisy was stone cold to him.

"You should tell us who you and your people are." She stated. The girls followed suit positively.

"Yeah, totally."

Henry looked at them all with dull blank eyes. Sawyer chuckled from the doorframe at the girls' impression of an interrogation.

"You know you can tell us who your people are." Said Rue, leaning forward confidentially.

"Yeah. Your secret would be safe with us." Added Daisy.

"Anyway we have one really important question to ask you." Continued Twinkle. Sawyer couldn't contain a grin that had spread it's self over his face.

All three of the girls lowered their voices for the intensity of the situation.

"Look we need to know." Said Rue breaking it down for the best result. Twinkle continued.

"Are there any guys our age within your group of savages." The man frowned slightly trying to comprehend what he had just been asked.

"Our teenage years are passing before our eyes!" Groaned Daisy, acting as if she was in substantial pain.

"And there just happened to be no boys at all on our plane! Well none that lived." Said Twinks.

"What about Walt." Rue said.

"Rue we are a great many things but Demi Moore isn't one of them." Twinks replied. Daisy broke down.

"We are starved. Can't you see?!"

"So I'm not good enough for you girls anymore?" Sawyer said in a voice he seemed to reserve for saying disgusting or crude things.

"Well we considered you carefully." Twinkle replied, eyes gleaming, giving him a look up and down.

"But we decided unanimously that where we are not Demi Moore, we are also not Catherine Zeta Jones." Hannah pointed out. Rue turned to face him.

"Your too old." Sawyer looked at Rue with mock offence, then let out a chuckle and leant his head back against the doorframe.

"So-," Started Rue, turning back to Henry but was cut short as he lunged forward and with considerable strength grabbed Twinkle around the neck.

Rue on instinct thwacked him over the face and Sawyer dived forward. Henry was knocked back from the force of the blow but maintained a firm grip on Twinkle's neck as she was pulled back on top of him.

"Steady." He said calmly. "We don't want anyone to get hurt now do we?"

"Son-of-a-bitch." Growled Sawyer ferociously.

"Now that's not very nice." Henry remarked. Rue bared her teeth. Daisy clenched her fists and shot a look at Rue. Rue understood. Two pairs of legs tightened ready to launch forwards.

"Not a good idea" He said looking straight at the girls, tightening his grip on Twinkle. "You see where I am holding her? This means that with the flick of my wrist I could break her neck." There was silence left by this remark. "In the time it would take you to move one step closer she could be gone." The dank silence drained their faces. "Just CRACK and She is history."

"Let Her Go." Sawyer's face was livid, his brow carved into hard lines.

"Hmm. And why would I do that?" Inquired Henry. He made his way to his feet, dragging Twinkle easily with him. She was spluttering and clawing at the hands clutching her neck franticly. His hands were like iron. She had been trying to kick him but this stopped quickly when she heard the story of her future broken neck.

Daisy was digging her fingernails into her palms as she watched Henry drag Twinkle out of the safe and towards the hatch's doorway. Daisy, Rue and Sawyer stared out at Twinkle from the safe.

Walking backwards and dragging the girl Henry backed up against the door and started to feel for the handle, one hand still easily clasped around Twinkle's neck. Sawyer, with the two girls on either side of him, thought he might have a chance now that Henry had only one hand on Twinkle. He moved forward but Twinkle instantly started to gasp, choke and splutter. Rue and Daisy yelped and Sawyer held the two frightened behind him, protecting what he could.

"One more step." Henry said softly. "Just try it." Sawyer's face was cut up into deep lines of anger, he was practically radiating heat. The man groped behind him for the door handle when it suddenly turned sharply, the heavy metal door swung open and smashed Henry in the head. Twinkle gasped in air as Henry fell forward half over her. She struggled to get away from him. Sawyer quickly lunged forward and slid her out from under him. He picked her up and she clung to him for dear life. She made strangled sobbing gasps as she breathed through her raw throat. Sawyer tried to sit her down but she wouldn't let go instead Daisy and Rue came to him on the ground. She eventually felt for Rue and transferred her cling on to her and Daisy sat beside stroking her hair and whispering calming things, her breathing started to slow.

Locke opened the door a little wider. "Oh sorry." He said then glanced at Henry on the floor behind the door and then at Sawyer who was just about to start to drag Henry back into his cell and then at Rue and Daisy holding a choking Twinkle.

"Did I miss anything?" He asked. In a tone that was almost insulting to the severe-ness of the scene.

**4815162342**

Sawyer sat by the door of the safe and cursed himself for not remembering the code. For this fault he now had to crack it by ear, not impossible but certainly more tedious.

By some stroke of luck he had been left the man of the hatch. Which was quiet unexpected seeing as he had been deemed irresponsible in Locke's eyes for letting Henry get his hands on Twinkle which was, coincidently exactly why he had his ear pressed against the metal door.

"Who- who's there?" Henry called out in a timid voice like he would never hurt a fly.

"Your worst nightmare." Sawyer growled to himself. The lock clicked. Sawyer entered with a large stick swaged over his shoulder. Henry eyed the stick.

"Can I help you Sawyer?"

"You know what…I think you can." He swung his fist, it made contact with Henry's jaw, and the man was knocked to the ground. Sawyer bore down on the man as he lay on the floor and felt the ripples of blood drip from his lips.

"You threatened to kill one of my girls." Sawyer informed him calmly. Henry just watched the man above him as Sawyer gave a sinister smile. "Big mistake."

It was like a switch had been flicked in Sawyer's mind, like he had gone into auto-pilot and his fists had control over themselves, he didn't really know what he was doing but he knew he was angry, incredibly angry and he wanted to kill that worthless son of a bitch, regardless of the consequence. But he didn't kill Henry, the switch was flicked off again, he got up, locked the safe, the groans and cries of Henry still echoing in his ears, he had a shower in the hatch, donned a clean pair of clothes and left to visit Twinkle who was still hanging around in her tent with Rue and Daisy. Her neck was horrifically bruised.

"Howdy." He smiled as he lifted up the flap of the tarpaulin and entered the tent. The girls were reading, Rue and Twinkle were leaning over an old magazine that they had found in the hatch and Daisy was folded up in a corner pouring over Sawyer's copy of Watership Down, which was all warped because it got wet in the crash.

Twinkle looked up and gave him a smile, Rue said _Hi_ while absentmindedly while flicking through pages and Daisy ignored him purely due to the book.

Twinkle was looking at Sawyer's forehead when she slowly asked:

"Sawyer, where have you been?" It was more a demand than a question. Rue looked up now and stared at Sawyer's forehead as well. Daisy glanced up at him between pages and did a double take to stare at his forehead. Confused, Sawyer touched his forehead self-consciously, with an uneasy feeling in his stomach; he didn't want the girls to know.

"Would you care to tell me exactly why you're starin' at me? Because I've got a feeling it ain't my winning looks."

"You have blood on your forehead." Rue commented easily. Daisy went back to her book. Blood had kind of lost its shock value after crashing on an island inhabited by hostiles.

"Son-of-a-bitch." Muttered Sawyer, rubbing at his forehead.

"Who was it?" Asked Twinkle slowly.

"And how'd you get it on your forehead?" Daisy asked halfway down a page, with the conversation as her second priority.

"After he killed Jack, Sawyer rubbed his face in Jack's blood." Said Rue knowledgeably nodding to Twinkle.

"Really Sawyer, this bloodletting thing has to stop." Twinkle told Sawyer.

"Mm." Daisy contributed, turning another page.

"So…?" Rue said, fishing for some answers.

"The bug eyed bastard." Sawyer grumbled, still rubbing his forehead. "S'off?"

"Henry?" Daisy looked up from her book.

"Yeah, Hatch boy." He started rubbing his forehead vigorously. "Is it off?" Addressing Rue. Twinkle looked flattered but covered it up with a violence doesn't solve anything attitude.

"Sawyer. You shouldn't have-," Twinkle started but Daisy cut her off.

"No I think he was right, I mean I think Aragon would have done the same thing and is it not true that we all strive to be more like Aragon?"

"She has a point." Rue said as she spat on a hanky and started rubbing Sawyer's head with it.

"Rue, stop it!"

"No."

"I'm not a dam kid."

"Then stop winging."

Daisy grinned behind her book.

**4815162342**

"He he he shush," Giggled Daisy as she stumbling over a tree root in the dark. Twinkle helped her up and fell over herself in the process. Laughing uncontrollably, they staggered to their feet, completely oblivious to the fact that their attempts to be quiet were having the opposite effect.

"Guys!" Rue hissed from the shadows behind them. "Come back!" But to no avail. They waddled pathetically on, making such a racket that Rue cringed at the thought of what would happen if they woke up anyone, let alone Sawyer. She jogged a bit and caught up with them, grabbing them each by the arm.

"Okay, you've had your fun. Lets go back, this is insane. You're completely smashed, Sawyer will skin you alive when he finds out you took his booze and you're wondering around a haunted jungle in the middle of the night!"

What a waste of breath. The girls were paying absolutely no heed to their friend, instead giggling hysterically at nothing but a shrub at their feet.

"Shhh!" Rue this time. She said it so severely and suddenly that they actually shut up for a moment or two. Absolutely sure she had just heard footsteps; Rue moved silently closer to the girls and clapped a hand over each of their mouths. Someone was out there, just beyond Rue's range of vision. Every few seconds a flicker of light could be seen through the thick foliage.

The footsteps stopped, and then there came a new sound. A faint pattering noise, silence, then came a male grunt and the footsteps tuned to retrace themselves. The girls began to fidget after standing still for all over two minuets. Twinkle realizing slowly what they had just heard, lapsed back into giggles, which of course started up Daisy once more. The footsteps slowed, stopped and started toward them. The flashes of light grew brighter and more frequent.

"Quick!" Rue hissed at them. She took them by the hands and tried to lead them away as quickly and quietly as she could.

"Ow!" Cried Twinkle, much too loudly. Rue silently cursed her. The footsteps drew nearer with a much more definite tread and before she knew it Rue had a bright light shone in her face, blinding her to all other surroundings.

"Fran? What are you girls doing out here?" Rue's heart sank, _of all people_ she groaned to herself. Of all people to be out in this area of jungle urinating at this time of night, it just had to be Jack. They were in for it now.

"Heey JAAACK!!!" Daisy more or less screamed at him before dissolving into giggles.

"WASSSUP DOC!!!" Twinkle slurred. Daisy giggled.

"HA, good one."

"Have…Have you girls been drinking?" Jack asked incredulously.

"NAAAH!" Shouted Daisy with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Fran?" Jack inquired.

"No," She answered defensively. "Well…at least I haven't." She finished somewhat feebly.

"But they have?" Jack asked. Rue felt like he was punishing her with these obvious questions.

"No Jack they always smell like an Osborne, haven't you noticed." She bit angrily.

"Jesus Christ, they're hammered!"

"Aaah common Jack, youknowasslike beingyoung,naive ssstuckonanisland." Twinkle sidled up to him somewhat seductively.

"Yeaah thassright." Chimed in Daisy. "Youknowdaone boutda Zebra an isspots."

"Damn Zebra!" Twinkle agreed.

Jack stared disbelievingly at them then back at Rue obviously trying to derive some sense from the situation. Rue felt absolutely awful. Jack was one of those from whom they had earned a great deal of respect. He trusted them and those two were just throwing that away with their stupidity.

"Is that vodka?" Jack pointed to the small bottles in the girl's hands. Daisy held hers out towards him.

"Welcome to the Caribbean love!" Twinkle laughed with delight and slapped Jack half a dozen times on the back. Jack reached out for the bottle but Daisy whipped it back behind her and waggled a finger childishly in his face.

"Nonononono. This onessmine."

"Okay guys can we um go to bed now?" Rue asked very embarrassed. She wasn't in the mood for anything else right now, least of all a big responsibility lecture from Jack. She was also quite pissed off with the other two for getting her into all this.

Jack glanced back at her just in time to catch a miserable look on her face that he'd never seen there before. She successfully avoided eye contact.

"Come on girls!" He called cheerfully to the drunks. "Bedtime." Jack walked with them back to their tent and never said a word except to persuade Daisy kindly that it was not a good time for a spot of tree climbing.

Rue marched along, head down, as though her boots were the most fascinating things in the world. How she wished to be alone. Twinkle and Daisy mostly pranced, danced and tripped their way back to camp before Daisy spontaneously fell asleep just outside their tent. Jack carried her inside and lay her down.

"Daisy!" Twinkle exclaimed as though she had just tragically dropped dead. "Nooooo, Daisy you can't die, what bout the party?"

Jack turned to face Rue. "Party?" Rue half shrugged and shook her head.

"Oh ok them," Twinkle sighed. "But just a nana-nap ok?" She said in a defeated tone as she collapsed on her back next to Daisy.

"I think they'll be alright now." Said Jack.

"Thanks." Rue muttered to her shoes.

Jack left. It was obvious Rue had expected a lecture but she looked so upset already that he couldn't bring him self to say what needed to be said. Besides she wasn't really the one who needed to hear it. As for the other two, well…the hangover they would both get the next morning when the sun shone right into their tent would probably be punishment enough.

As Jack lay down once more to sleep he allowed himself a small chuckle. He had a pretty good idea where that alcohol had come from and that thought brought him extreme contentment for a few moments before he thought about the diminishing medical supplies of alcohol and for once he was glad that they had found the hatch.

Rue pulled off her jumper and arranged it under her head as a pillow. She rolled onto her side and faced the two snoring figures. She caught herself thinking not for the first time, how she and Twinkle came to be on that plane. How different things would have been if the plane had landed in L.A.

**4815162342**

_Francesca burst through the front door, face shining through long brown hair. _

"_Honey I'm home!" She called to no one in particular._

"_We're in the lounge room chook." Called Jo. _

_Francesca made her way to the lounge room via a slight detour to the attic, she shared it with Shell. Shell wasn't home yet, probably still at work or a music lesson or extension math. (A thought which never failed to make Francesca cringe, why in the world anyone would put them selves through that was beyond her.) Fran bounded down the stairs in an exceptionally good mood for no apparent reason and bounced though the kitchen to the lounge room. Her foster parents, Jo and Mitchell were sitting, having coffee with Jenny or so Fran assumed until she saw, sitting at the end of the table, Diane._

_Jenny and Diane were both from the Child Welfare agency. Fran and Shell loved Jenny. She was the coolest, like a big sister. She was only twenty-five or so and took them out every now and then for a meal, movie or shopping spree. More often than not, though she would just swing round, unannounced, day or night for a coffee and a chat. Jo and Mitch didn't mind because they loved her too, everyone did. She was a social worker and it was her job to make sure that the girls were living in a safe, stable environment. That's what it said in the file that the girls had pinched anyway. _

_Diane on the other hand, now she was…well…a bitch to put it simply. She was a symbol of all things dangerous and evil because she only ever showed up when the girls were going to be moved or something legal like that had to be done. Diane was a bad sign and a bad sign on a good day really annoyed Francesca. _

"_Hay everyone…Diane." She addressed Diane curtly with an obvious retraction of the warmth she had for the other three. _

"_Sit down Hun, Diane has some important news." Jo was never one to beat around the bush. She always laid it out straight and was extremely brutally honest. Francesca sat down uncertainly, her mind jumping to all sorts of conclusions. Way to ruin a perfectly perfect day. _

"_Now as you well know Francesca, Joanna and Mitchell can no longer support you and Michelle after their contract terminates mid next year. You will require guardianship of a foster family until you turn eighteen but you've always known that you would only seek residence here for a limited amount of time." Diane always beat around the bush and had a fascination with big words that made her sound more educated than she really was. _

"_But as you said it's not till mid next year. So we've still got like eight months."_

"_Well yes that was the initial plan but something else has come up."_

_Francesca waited nervously for her to continue._

"_There is an Australian woman in Los Angeles who has many contacts within the agency. She has fostered many children mainly teenagers, she gives them a stable environment and the money to pursue higher education. She is quite wealthy. She has just moved to America recently and decided that now she has unpacked she is ready to take on another foster child." Francesca started to feel sick. "She wants to continue helping Australian children like yourself, this is a once in a life time opportunity."_

_Fran was speechless. This couldn't happen again, not right now. They were settled, the school had the best drama teacher Fran had ever had, Shell had finally collaged the entire wall in photos just the way she liked it. These things sounded little but they mattered to them. Everyone was looking at her, waiting for a reaction. She couldn't think of anything to say. Finally she found her voice._

"_L…live in America?"_

"_Well it would be a bit hard to commute everyday." Diane said as she flashed a smile at her own joke. Francesca found no humor in it. _

"_I…I don't want to leave you guys." She said looking longingly at Jo, Mitch and Jenny. She felt red-hot tears start to well up and her throat starting to go raw, she suppressed it. _

"_Oh we will miss you too Francesca." Said Diane curtly. Francesca shot her a quite obvious glare. "But I'm afraid unless you can provide a substantial reason why this is not in your best interest the decision is out of your hands." She said rather severely as though being upset at the prospect of moving halfway around the world and leaving everything you've known behind was childish. _

"_But we don't know them." She stammered trying to find a loophole in the plan. _

"_You didn't know us before you came here either." Said Mitch softly. _

"_Why can't you make another arrangement so we can stay here until we are eighteen." She demanded. _

"_We want to retire soon, we won't be able to support you two."_

"_So that's it? That's all there is to it?" Francesca asked herself more than the adults before her. This was too much too soon. Her thoughts flashed briefly to the major history assignment due next week. Suddenly that felt like nothing after weeks of panicking about it._

"_You're Due to go over in September." Stated Diane mater-of-factly. Francesca was silent as Diane gathered up her papers. September was only two months away. Jo put an arm around her shoulders and Fran decided that she wouldn't make this harder for them than it had to be. She put on a brave face. _

"_I'm alright," She assured their concerned faces. "Shell and I are used to moving after all. I guess it will just be a little different for us to go over seas but we will manage." _

"_Who said anything about Michelle going with you?" Diane asked coldly as she snapped her bag shut. _

"_Sweetie," Jo's voice was so far away. "Sweetie, Shell isn't going with you this time." _

**4815162342**

Sawyer woke early. The pinking grey light of dawn told him that it was around 4:30am. He always woke early and cursed his mind for making it so. The quickest way to pass time was to sleep yet he could never seem to get more than five or six hours. He sighed and rolled over on to his back staring up at his tarpaulin ceiling. Somewhere outside a bird had started chirping.

"Son-of-a-bitch." He muttered sleepily. The bird cried louder as though just to spite him.

He fell in and out of a restless snooze for the next two hours or so until the sound of voices could be heard and he gave up. Everyone seemed to get up so early but then what else was there to do?

He was surprised he hadn't heard from the girls yet, ordinarily they would be in there first thing doing rooster impressions or singing _Good Morning Sunshine _and making loud ringing sounds whilst jumping all over the place pretending to be alarm clocks. He often wondered if all sixteen-year-old girls were like that, some how he came to the conclusion that they weren't and he just happened to get stuck with the three that were…well… a few sandwiches short of a picnic

He sighed, heaved himself up, pulled on a shirt and mentally prepared himself for whatever the dam island might throw at him that day.

Rue woke to the most disgusting sound one could possibly wake up to. She looked over at Daisy still dead to the world, which confirmed that it was Twinkle heaving her guts up outside the tent. Rue was torn between feelings of sympathy and the thought that she deserved it.

She figured that Twinkle would be miserable enough as it was so decided to conserve her disapproval for another time. Rue got up and picked up a bottle of water and found Twinkle leaning shakily against a tree a few meters from their shelter. She held back Twinkle's long red hair as she doubled over clutching her stomach once more. Twinkle straightened up and Rue handed her the water.

"Ta." She whispered with a weak attempt at a smile. She looked awful. She had big black bags under her eyes and her skin was extremely pale with a faint tinge of green. Rue led her slowly back inside where she laid down once more. She was out of it almost instantly. Rue decided she would rather not be around when they woke up again, changed her clothes and left for a walk before breakfast. No sooner had she gotten halfway down the sand to the waters edge did Kate make her way over and fell into step beside her.

"Morning Kate."

"Hay Jack told me what happened…but don't worry," She rushed on seeing the annoyed look on Rue's face. "He didn't tell anyone else. So how are they?"

"They are learning their lesson as we speak."

"Poor things."

"Poor things? I was the one running around after them all last night."

"Wouldn't you rather have done that than be hurling right now?" Rue shrugged in agreement, Kate continued. "Well don't worry about Sawyer. What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

Rue laughed. "Yeah but it's only a matter of time before he goes to find something in his stash and realizes that all his booze is gone."

"Maybe something will happen and he will never go back to his stash ever again." Kate suggested trying to find a comfortable medium.

"Maybe he will be abducted by the Others."

"One can only hope." They both giggled slightly sadistically before feeling guilty and changing the subject.

**4815162342**

_Francesca entered the dining hall and made her way to the buffet bench alone. It was the last night of camp and just about everyone had left that day but her bus left the next morning. She wished Shell was there with her. Shell had done the typical Shell thing and left it too late to send in the application to go to camp. In the letter she sent Francesca she described the concerts, plays and movies they want to see as well as the water park they went to. The last month Jo and Mi__tch seemed to throw out the budget, to give them a good send off._

_While Fran was still destined for the Americas, Shell had apparently been discovered by a relative of hers who lived in Canada, who wanted to adopt her. Although that wouldn't happen for a few months as the agency was giving Shell a choice after those few months of living with the woman whether she actually wanted to __stay or not. _

_Francesca moved along the buffet bench taking a little bit of this and a little bit of that. She wasn't that hungry so she at and picked at her food, watching the only other two little children sitting on the other side of the hall throwing carrots at each other playfully._

"_Hay Frangipanni! Why so lonesome?" Dean, one of the younger camp instructors slid his legs under the wooden table and settled beside her. She hated that nickname but she_ _liked Dean so they kind of cancelled each other out. She smiled warmly._

"_The void of people may have something to do with it. Plus I'm not lonely, I enjoy solitude." She clarified._

"_You want me to leave?" He asked politely ready to get up._

"_No stay, distract me from the carrot war over there." He chuckled then put nearly a whole half a sausage in his mouth at once. Guys were gross. Dean was cool though. He must have only been about twenty or so and pretty gorgeous too. Fran had no objection at all to him sitting there. _

"_So home-time tomorrow eh? Enjoy yourself here?"_

"_Yeah, course." _

"_So where is home for you?" _

"_Down the south coast."_

"_Oh yeah, your foster folks cool?"_

"_Yep. I am fostered with another girl my age too, Shell, She's the greatest but she didn't get in to come here. She was a bit upset but our folks are making it up to her."_

"_Cool. I boarded with a little girl once when I was about eight or nine so I guess that she would be about your age now. She was the craziest little thing."_

"_What happened to her?" She inquired continuing to eat her mash potatoes. _

"_Well I never knew up until a couple of months ago. Someone at the agency told me about her parents. She was originally given to the agency when her parents went to prison but apparently the agency had been trying to find reasons to take her off them for years, just never got enough evidence to make it legal."_

"_What were they put in the slammer for?"_

"_They were involved in some weird religious cult, it was called something like The Orthodox disciples or the Children of Orthodox either way, it started as a branch of the Orthodox church, but it was based more on the teaching of the book of revelations, it doesn't really make sense to me but anyway, then they got this leader, really manipulative piece of work and the whole lot of it just started to get darker and darker and this girl's parents were right in the thick of it. They were caught in the act of a human sacrifice. When I met her she was real quite but eventually she came out of her shell. I don't think she ever really understood what happed to her. Hay, have a look." He pulled out a wallet from his back pocket. It was one that had the flip out clear slips for half a dozen photos. "This is me and my girlfriend, my best mate Mat mooning a bus, ha that was funny. Here it is this is a photo of Christmas that year. That's me and the little girl and our foster parents…" The rest of what he said went out into oblivion as Francesca looked at the face of little Shell smiling through the photo._


	6. Chapter 6

Charlie sat on the beach strumming his guitar. Ever since he had had his little sleep walking fiasco Charlie was not exactly the most popular person on the island. The girls had obviously forgiven him. Kate was pleasant but loyal to Claire. Locke and him were in their usual tiff. Jack was a doctor so, you know and Sawyer was Sawyer so, you know.

Twinkle walked over and sat by him listening. She had soon memorised the chord progression he was playing. Was just a simple four bar ostinato, beginning on E minor she thought.

Twinkle counted to herself subconsciously and began singing.

Charlie looked startled and muddled up his strumming pattern a bit but continued playing after a reassuring nod from Twinkle.

She wasn't singing any words, just holding the base note of the chord for a count of four before changing to the next chord.

Next she started clapping. Just a simple rhythm to help her keep time. Charlie smiled and played with a bit more energy. No one had ever taken the time to even listen to him before on the island, let alone come along and start jamming.

Becoming more confident, Twinkle soon developed a melody. Rue and Daisy ambled over and sat down to listen, it was really quiet catchy and Daisy was soon up dancing, pulling Rue up with her. The girls joined in clapping each adding a different rhythm to the work in progress as well is fitting it in to their dance.

People from all along the beach were stopping what they were doing and coming over to listen. Kate came up closely followed by Jack. Jack laughed as Kate was pulled into holding hands with Daisy and Rue and dancing around. She started to get in to it and it was a totally different side of her. Claire came to the side and sat with Aaron. She enjoyed the atmosphere with a big grin on her face and she danced Aaron on her lab and ignored the existence of Charlie in the scene.

Everyone was having the best time. It was such a change from the grumpy and miserable attitudes that had been dominating lately. The absence of Michael was stressing everybody out but it was amazing how everyone forgot their troubles with a little bit of music. Music really is the answer to everything thought Twinkle as she watched Hurley do the robot.

Sawyer approached the beach after a good long session of wood chopping. He was looking forward to a lie down. Bit of relaxation time. As he came to the edge of the trees he stopped. Was that music? He cautiously made his way forward and found the most astonishing sight. He tried to sneak back to the corner of the trees. He didn't want to be in this situation. He didn't know how to react to this situation. Everyone was so happy. Rue saw him.

"Oh shit." He thought. But before he could hide she was by his side and dragging him forwards to the party.

"No really Rue." He resisted. "I'm not big on live music, I went to see Kiss once, sucked, never liked anything live again."

"Gene Simmons is not an excuse." Rue continued her struggle. Daisy ran up and joined in. Together they got him to the edge of the small crowd and that's when Twinkle belted out her chorus.

"Oceanic 815 crashed, on it's way to L.A."

The crowd cheered.

"We're lost we don't know where we are, so I guess we'll just have to stay. There's a polar bear and a monster in the jungle. But we're all here together, we're all in this together and we won't go anywhere without each other, except for maybe Michael." Everyone laughed. It had was morbid thought but funny in the way it was sung.

Sawyer had forgotten about his attempt to get away and start cheering instead. Twinkle sang a few more rounds of it and the crowd joined in. Charlie ended with a cool little coda and the convert was over. Everyone clapped and yelled various forms of remarks. But above all else plainly heard was a very gruff, southern "Yeah!"

**4815162342**


	7. Chapter 7

Rue's eyes flicked open. She sat up and peered around the dark tent, not quite sure of what had woken her. Twinkle and Daisy were still fast asleep with their hands linked. Rue and Twinkle had spent most of the previous night comforting Daisy, She was pretty distraught after what had happened to Ana Lucia and Libby. Rue got up and walked the few metes to the sand. She sat down at the smoldering ashes of last nights fire and flicked through a magazine left there. She snorted in disgust at the headlines concerning Shane Warne's scandalous text message affair. There was a time when she might have been interested. Not in Shane Warne of course but in other social gossips, though mostly she bought the magazines for the pictures. Her and Twinkle's Attic bedroom back home was covered in posters of film stars, bands and moviemakers as well as photos of friends and drawings she'd done herself.

A horrible feeling crept up on her as she realized with a jolt that it was no longer her home. She pushed the realization away, already too much of it in the air.

She continued to flick through the pages until she came across an A4 size promotional poster for Pirates of the Caribbean, JOHNNY DEPP!! For a moment she couldn't help but wonder if there might actually be a god. Johnny was her Hero and it'd been so long since she'd seen a picture of him. Struck with a sudden inspiration, Rue jumped up and ran to Sawyer's sleeping quarters. He had magazines. She'd never been able to get her hands on them but she'd seen him with them.

She crept into the dark of Sawyer's cubby, ignoring his light snores and thanking her luck stars that he didn't sleep naked. As her eyes adjusted she looked around and silently searched the place for the prize. She lifted the cushion on the plane seat and hit the jackpot. Magazines, books, even a game-boy.

"Shell will enjoy that." She thought. She grinned to herself as she stole away through the trees with the loot after leaving a quick note in Sawyer's stash.

_Sawyer, I stole your stuff, hope it doesn't impair our friendship. Love…_

She left the name blank, couldn't make it too easy for him. She hurried along to the hatch after leaving another quick note for Daisy. Twinkle wouldn't be awake till about midday.

**4815162342**

Daisy Yawned, stretched and sat up. It took her a few moments to remember why she felt so horrible and as soon as she did she felt like curling up again under her blanket. Instead she sighed, forced herself to get up and resigned herself to another long depressing day in jungle world. Twinkle was drooling steadily on her improvised pillow but Rue was nowhere to be seen. Daisy picked up a note in a familiar untidy scrawl and laughed.

_Dearest Daisy-chain,_

_You may have noticed that I'm not here but you needn't worry because I'm perfectly ok. I haven't been, you know, snatched from my bed or anything but then again if I had and it was really the Others writing this, well then I suppose they would say the same kind of thing hay? But its not, it is me and in the end there's probably no way for you knowing who has written this. I'm telling you now that it's me in the hatch. Although if this was the Others then that is likely to be a trap and it probably wouldn't be very safe to go to the hatch. Now I'm starting to ramble._

_Ok, now reading back over that I think it's pretty clear who wrote it but that's just my professional opinion. Once again…open to interpretation. _

Love always

_Rue_

"Trust Rue." Daisy muttered to herself. She got up, dressed, picked a spider out of Twinkle's hair and made her way through the cool misty morning to meet Rue.

**4815162342**

"Oi! You!" Sawyer burst into the girl's dormitory to find a startled disoriented Twinkle. She squinted, bleary eyed, from the blinding light pouring in though the open tarpaulin flap.

"Ever heard of knocking?" She mumbled. "I could've been getting dressed!"

Sawyer just looked at her in disgust. "You're drowning in your own saliva, and anyway I might ask you the same question."

Twinkle screwed up her face in concentration while attempting to pull a pair of pants over her head and trying to comprehend what he said. He took pity on her and decided to lay it out straight.

"Someone was in my tent last night and stole my stuff!"

Twinkle slumped back to the ground and rolled over, either not having heard or not having understood. She was dozing within seconds.

"Oh no you don't sleepin' beauty. I know you three are in on this. Now where are the other two?" He picked her up off the ground and settled her down on two feet with one swift effort. Twinkle muttered some indecipherable protest and swayed on the spot.

"Can't this wait till morning?"

"It's bloody midday!"

Twinkle peered at her left wrist, forgetting that her watch had never survived the crash, while sawyer stomped around the small tent rummaging through suitcases and kicking clothes around.

"Son-of-a-bitch."

"Now S…S…Sawyer," Twinkle turned to him, stifling a huge yawn. She shook her head violently. "What exactly is your problem?"

"I woke up this morning and you lot have moved all my stuff around and taken my magazines!" Twinkle folded her arms and looked at him skeptically. "Don't look at me that way sweetheart, I know you've got something to do with it and you're not gonna get away with it!"

Twinkle nodded.

"Uh-huh, and how do you feel about that?" He turned to face her.

"What are you now, my shrink?"

"No of course not!" She said dismissively though the idea stuck with her and she milked it for all it was worth. He woke her up after all so Twinkle feigned a look of resignation and sighed. "Sit down Sawyer."

He obeyed thinking he was going to get some answers. She sat down opposite clasped her hands together and continued in her most patronizing tone of voice.

"Now, I am certain that if we work really hard and strap our thinking caps on reeeeally tight, then we can find a solution to your predicament." She glanced casually around as though looking for something. "Wish we had some butches paper." She added more to herself.

Sawyer got up.

"Shoulda known better than to waste my time trying to get a straight answer out of you!" He said, frustrated.

"Now, now," Twinkle called after him as he walked out. "That's not the right attitude to have." She laughed at his retreating back and vaguely wondered what he'd actually been on about. He ignored her last comment and stormed off down the beach.

The problem with the girls was just that, they were girls. It was Sawyer's nature to turn violent when things didn't go his way but he wouldn't exactly be winning _islander of the year_ if he started bashing teenage girls.

"Is it possible that you've pissed off any boars lately?"

He was back at his tent and there was Twinkle leaning casually against a palm tree. How she got there quicker than he did he never knew.

"No we've been getting along just dandy thanks."

"That So?"

"Yeah, that's so. We did brunch that day before yesterday!"

"Hmmm I see…" Twinkle said thoughtfully. "What about the Polar bears?" Sawyer glared at her. If looks could kill…

"Mummy bear won't let them play with me anymore."

"Yes…yes quite understandable. Well then I think it's safe to assume it was Daisy and Rue. Shall we go look for them?"

"You mean you seriously had nothing to do with it?"

"You may have noticed my priorities are a bit out of whack. I hold very, very high regard for sleep."

"Apparently."

"So lets take a stroll shall we?" Twinkle said brightly.

"Where to?"

"Oh I have a hunch."

**4815162342**

"JOHNNY!"

"ORLANDO!"

"DOM-MON!"

Daisy and Rue's cries of delight bought Hurley from the next room where he was on button duty.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say there were a bunch of gay guys jacking off in here." Rue rolled around positively howling with laughter Daisy looked up and smiled warmly. He half-grinned back but only for a split second. Libby's death had really wrecked him. The funeral was to be held later that day. Rue calmed down and looked up at Hurley.

"We're here for you Hurley if you ever need anything." She said sincerely. "I know we haven't exactly paraded our listening skilled in our time here but we're good at it, really one of our many hidden talents."

Hurley just nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Poor guy."

"Mmm."

"But lets not wallow in despair." Rue exclaimed snapping out of the reverie. "We're here to brighten the place up after all and where the hell is bloody Twinkle?"

"She's probably flooding our tent as we speak."

"And dribbling in her sleep is one of Twinkles many hidden talents."

The girls turned their attention back to the task at hand. They were in the bedroom with the bunk beds and it was their intention to cover the whole wall in movie stars. They had done about a third of the wall when they started running out of pictures.

"Oh it's been so long since I watched a movie." Daisy groaned.

Rue had her whole DVD collection with her on the plane but they were a bit pessimistic about finding a player.

"I could kill for Peter Pan."

"Lord of the Rings!"

"Benny and Joon." The girls exchanged mischievous glances.

"Raisins?" Daisy asked.

"Humiliated grapes." They both chanted together. The girls started laughing but were stopped short when they heard a familiar voice from the main entrance.

"I would walk five hundred miles and I would walk five hundred more just to be the man that walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door." Twinkle bounced into the room waving her arms like a conductor.

"Altogether now!"

"La da da!" She sang and Rue and Daisy echoed.

"La da da!"

"La da da!"

"La da da!"

"La da dundiddlundiddleundiddle un da da!"

"LA DA D-."

"Enough!" Sawyer stood in the doorway glaring the glariest of all glares.

"I thought you were supposed to be helpin' me!" He accused Twinkle rather angrily but she was not at all bothered.

"Well yeah but it's such a good song and I thought that…Oooh pretty!"

They never found out what she'd thought because at that moment she caught sight of Rue and Daisy's work. "Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god…CHEWBACCA!!" Daisy chuckled.

"Thought you'd like that one Twinks!"


	8. Chapter 8

**4815162342**

The three girls were still in morning for Libby and Ana-lucia, especially Daisy but being true to them selves, they did their best to keep positive. This new guy appeared on a boat drunk off his arse and Michael had collected together a savvy little group to go have tea with the hostiles. Not much harm from that apart from the fact that now Sun, (island baby ping, as the girls liked to call it) Jin, Syied, Michael, Jack, Kate, their beloved Hurley and their big brother Sawyer had all gone of with out any telling of when they would be back. Not to mention Charlie, Eko, Locke and the new guy Desmond were all having a tiff about the hatch and the sky had turned purple. They all had the same achy feeling that they had when Sawyer went away on that dam raft but this time they were actually looking for the others, walking straight into the savage's territory. The more they thought about it the more stupid Michael's planned sounded.

The three were playing an incredibly halfhearted game of _if you were lost on a deserted island what would you bring_. But unfortunately it turned into them all talking about what they would trade to get their island family back to the way it was.

They herd some crunching in the jungle close to their tree. Rue instantly went to have a look but Daisy grabbed her. She put one long finger to her lips and all three of them very quickly but silently climbed up the tree. The crunching came closer and louder. Each of them in the tree was trying to look as branch like as possible. Daisy especially was going through the mind frame of _if I were a branch what would I be thinking? What would my past times be? If I were a branch what would I bring if I were lost on a deserted island?_

These very relevant thoughts were interrupted when a very sweaty, very tired Hurley brushed past one of the bushes and out through another. They all looked at each other and jumped out of the tree, simultaneously hitting the jungle floor. Twinkle sprinted through the bush, found Hurley, grabbed his hand, spun him around and leapt on him with a big hug.

_Finally they had come back! Kate, Jack, Sawyer and Hurley had come back!_

Hurley was kind of bowled over at this sudden head of red hair wrapped around his neck. But got the affirmation and then the relief when he saw the other two girls coming through the bushes.

_Dam it's good that they are all cool. _While out there he kept on having Libby flashbacks constantly and every once and a while the body would change sometimes to Sun, sometimes to Rose but mostly it was each of the three girls lying there with the blood oozing out of there mouths. To see them standing there was a great confirmation.

Rue gave a scream.

"HURLEY!" As Twinkle let go of his neck and slid the little way down his belly to the ground he was smacked in the face by another hug. Rue shouted out, though her voice was smothered by Hurley's shoulder.

"Daisy can we keep him?" Daisy was staying relatively cool. She knew Hurley well enough to whip his ass at cards or sit with and have D and M's with, but footy tackle style hugs she was not sure about. So she grabbed a near by flower walked up, put the flower in his hair and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Well only if you toilet train him." They all kind of giggled. There was a rustling in the brushes. They all looked around and saw a naked Desmond dart out from one tree and back behind another and then off into the jungle.

"What the-?" Daisy muttered.

"Wait was that-?" Twinkle asked.

"I think it was-." Rue said astounded.

"Hay Desmond, Dude over here." The rustling stopped and then started getting louder.

"Whose there?" The Scottish voice weaved through the jungle.

"It's Hurley. Man, what are you doing?"

"Are you alone?" The voice asked. Hurley looked at the girls they all had big grins on.

Desmond's head appeared from behind a tree. The three girls waved at him.

"Hay Dessy." Daisy said trying to take the grin off her face but it seemed to be plastered there.

"Nice- Day we have here." Rue said falling into Daisy with partially stifled laughter.

"Come on guys," Twinkle said seriously. "He's Scottish, he is just used to having a bit more air around – er, everywhere than this island is permitting. Power to the people Desmond!" The girls looked from one to the other and fell over each other to the ground it a rage of laughter.

"Yes girls very funny, I know but right now I could really do with some clothes." Hurley quickly opened his bag and grabbed out a shirt.

"Is Tie dye ok?" Desmond looked at him strangely. Like fashion was going to be a really big issue. Desmond went to leave to comfort of the tree to get the shirt when he retreated back. Hurley looked at the girls. They were all perfectly still, staring straight at Desmond hiding behind the tree with slightly goofy grins on their faces.

"Ah guys I think you should-,"

"Shh, Hurley we are doing some important stuff." Said Rue not looking at him and vaguely wavering her arm.

"Hmm very important stuff." Twinkle said, the grin widening on her face.

"Yeah you wouldn't understand." Daisy said absently. Desmond looked at the three of them and through his head back in embarrassment.

"God take a picture it will last longer."

"Got the camera Daisy?" Twinkle and Rue quickly asked hopefully.

"No!" Daisy suddenly wined at the unfortunatness. "I left it at the tent!"

"Dam." Rue sympathized.

"Hay Des would you be able to wait there for a while?" Twinkle asked chucking on the puppy dog eyes. Hurley came in to save him.

"Um you guys should go back to camp and tell them that you found me ok?" None of them moved. "Fine, and tell them that you found Des in the nuddy." At this they all co-operated. They got to there feet and started walking away.

"Ah girls…don't go swimming." Desmond told them oddly. "It will work it's self out…don't go swimming."

Daisy turned and blew Desmond a kiss and with out turning shouted back.

"Sorry, Desmond, we can't hear you, your too naked." The girls giggled at this and ran off through the jungle.


	9. Chapter 9

"This is mental!" Twinkle shouted out to the two girls as she trudged lopsidedly from the weight of her backpack.

"So is Lock's _plan_." Daisy put on her best John Lock impersonation. "Oh lets go out and _communicate_ with the others! Oh yeah I can see it now they will invite him over for scones and crumpet and he will reason with them about how capturing our friends was actually a bad thing, they will see the light and apologies for all the hassle they have caused. What does that look like to you? Because to me it looks like a big _no._"

"Here, Here!" Rue agreed.

"But walking the circumference of this island? We have no idea how big it is and they could come back on their own while we are out here, and-"

"Covered." Rue interrupted. "Sayid has a transceiver and we have the other and I radioed in and told him what was going on."

"Oh and he was fine and dandy like the rest of the camp were when we decided to go off alone?" She asked sarcastically.

"Not exactly. He said he was going to find us. Then I asked how he would know which direction we took and he said he would get another person to go in the other direction and then I think I remember something about saying we had just decided to trek up that mountain." Rue pointed to the grandest mountain towering above them.

"Trek up _that_ mountain? Us? And he believed that?"

"Well if you see a little movie dot on the mountain that is Sayid going absolutely nowhere."

"Hay Rue?!" Daisy sung.

"I think I here my name." Rue Squealed at the utterance of her favorite campfire song.

"Hay Rue?"

"I think I here it again."

"Fine I give up." Twinkle said diffidently although mostly too her self at this point.

"Your wanted on the telephone." Hannah chortled.

"Well if it isn't Twinks then I'm not home." Daisy and Rue suddenly stopped walking, simultaneously looked around at Twinkle. She knew that being pissed off was not going to be a good enough excuse to abstain from the song.

"Hay Twinkle?"

"I think I hear my name." Came the begrudged words of a frustrated Twinkle.

**4 8 15 16 23 42**

"Hay look beach and ocean, and what is that over there, no wait – yes I think it is in fact more beach and ocean. Oh and what's that-?"

"Rue I will give you a pretty parrot feather if you shut up." Said Twinkle bluntly. Rue looked offended at being told to shut up but then saw the parrot feather and accepted.

The three had been walking for way too long. Three days was an unnatural amount of time to undergo continues movement at least for them. They had exhausted all known forms of traveling songs and had even for a few very scary moments delved into the realm of Nelly's _it's getting hot in here, _but they quickly realized what they were doing and went back to silence.

On the forth morning they were all feeling very jack of the whole idea which Twinkle was slightly enjoying in an _I told you so _kind of way. They packed up the camp and continued around a huge rock that they had used for shelter against the wind the night before.

Daisy went first being the climber. She scouted out the easy way up, it took her a few minuets before she got to the top and looked out.

She was silent for a second.

"Daze? What's happening?" Twinkle asked wondering about the silence.

"Yeah are we good to go?" Questioned Rue.

"You guys better have a look at this." She said in a stunned voice. The girls climbed up the rock, which took notably longer than it did Daisy. Once at the top they looked out to see a possibility they had never imagined.

"Another island?! Well I can't compete with that!" Twinkle moaned.

"Why didn't we think of this possibility?" Daisy asked more to her self. But Rue answered.

"Because we don't currently hold the title for the worlds most _pessimistic people_!" She shouted the last two words to the sky.

"Ok guys we should think about this rationally, they may not be on that island." Twinkle reasoned. But Daisy bit back.

"What the one with the obvious campfire smoke?"

"Yeah that one. It could just be _the Others_."

"What the ones holding Jack, Kate and Sawyer?"

"Fine." Twinkle gave up. She stood for a moment and wondered what the girls were still doing on top of the rock. "So are we going to start to walk back or what?"

"No Twinkle. We have been looking for them for three days, going back now would be counter productive." Rue said in a patronizing voice. Twinkle came back in an equally patronizing voice.

"Princess may I remind you that we need to go find Sayid to come with us

because-."

"Don't get your knickers in a knot I will radio in." Rue took out the transceiver and turned it on. "Dam no reception."

"Who? Him or us?"

"I guess us seeing as he should be half way up a mountain by now."

**4815162342**

"Remind me again why we are going on without Sayid, it may just be me but it sounds suspiciously like a suicide mission." Twinkle asked.

"Actually I'm with Twinks on this one."

"Because he would take days to get down the mountain and get to us. Days we don't have."

"I have a couple of days." Said Twinkle.

"Yeah, I would have to check my diary but I am pretty sure I could squeeze some days in." Agreed Rue.

"We don't have a couple of days." Daisy said exasperated. "Do either of you know how much damage a group of hostiles could do to three people in a couple of days? Because I have no bloody idea and I sure as hell don't want to find out. The rest of the camp is always treating us like kids and we are always saying we aren't but would an adult wait for Sayid? We have to find them our selves because we are the only people who seem to care right now and they need us. So lets get a move on, shall we?" Daisy turned on her heal and continued down the beach. The two girls looked at each other stunned. Rue whispered to Twinkle.

"Wow. Daisy-Chain gone commando."

"Yeah I know, it's like a milk shake only crunchy."

"What?"

"I don't know, I just felt like whacking in a coco pops reference."

"And was it worth it?"

"Well I enjoyed – ,"

Daisy interrupted."Come on guys, _the Others_ have tea and cookies waiting and you know how they get when you're late."

**4 8 15 16 23 42**

The girls took the entire day to make a raft for their bags to float on and to convince Daisy that there were no sharks, which Rue and Twinkle had no evidence to back up. And then the convinced Daisy and Twinkle to assure Rue that the currents weren't strong enough to carry them off into the open ocean.

So they eventually took the plunge and walked in to the water with the raft and the bags.

"Oh, oh cold water on my tummy!" Daisy squealed.

"Icky feeling!" Twinkle agreed.

"I wonder if Jack, Kate and Sawyer had to through this?" Daisy wondered as the crimson of her shirt turned dark with the rising water.

"Nope. They would have gotten the first class _Others _treatment." Rue complained.

"Yeah totally. The Others are always favoring them. Just for once I would like them to capture us. Save us a rescue trip let someone else do it." Twinkle added to the complaints.

"Ah Twinks, that did happen remember? The bearded guy had a gun to our heads and Jack gave him the guns."

"Oh yeah. Well it doesn't change the fact that we have to do some un-recreational swimming. Swimming should be fun."

"Swimming," Daisy mused.

"Yes Daisy it's what you're doing right now." Twinkle pointed out.

"No, I was just thinking. Desmond, um,"

"Swimming? Dessy the kilt?"

"Nop nothing but an image of Desmond naked. I'm good lets keep going."

After a while the conversations died out and they continued to swim and continued to get tired and continued to Rue's suspicion to get further and further off course.

"Guys," Rue said worriedly when they were about a kilometer out. "I don't think we're going to make it"

"Oh god Rue, really don't break out the pom poms too early." Said Daisy bitterly.

"Look." She stopped swimming and hoisted her shoulders up on the raft. We started directly in front of the island and now we are north of it. Much further north."

Twinkle looked around worriedly. Daisy put a hand through her thick, wet hair.

"Well what do we do? Go back?" She asked thrusting a hand to the far off shore. They all looked at each other. A junction in where to go. They no longer liked the idea of being adults. They longed for one to give them the answer. Twinkle hoisted her self up on the raft so the center of balance swayed for a moment. She reached into one of the bags and pulled out what looked like a brick rapped in plastic.

"We are trying for Sayid again." She stated.

"Come on." Said Daisy annoyed. "Sayid is just going to tell us we are crazy and to go straight back."

"Well at least we would have direction." She grabbed the trasiver out of the bag.

"Wow you can feel the tension. It's like blowing bubbles in chocolate source." They both glared at Rue. It was strange for them. Usually, when lying on the beach, it would be if anyone Rue going ballistic in charge, Daisy being whimsical and Twinkle giggling to her self about nothing in particular. Now it was all upside down and it was just making them even more tense.

"Chocolate source?" Daisy asked angrily.

"Yeah," Rue said slowly, afraid of what Daisy would do. "If you blow a straw in chocolate source it doesn't just bubble. At first you don't know anything is happening but slowly and silently you see it rise until in bursts over the top with out warning." The girls both looked at Rue, tendrils of wet hair rung around her face and decided it would just be easier if they left her with out a response.

"Sayid?" Twinkle spoke into the transceiver forcefully dragging a strand of red hair behind her ear. "Sayid pick up the transceiver. Come on this is not a 'hay how you going,' kind of 'boy is that sky blue,' call in. this is a 'pick up now if you don't want three very wet girls to drown for lack of decision making' kind of call."

"Michelle?" came a crackle over the black brick. "Michelle, where are you?"

"We aren't up a mountain."

"What?"

"We kind of lied. We are swimming to –." Twinkle cut off and pointed over to their destination. The other girls followed her hand and they all went stark white.

"Swimming to what? Where are you?" Twinkle dropped the transiver back in her bag.

"Oh my god! What do we do?" the girls went in to panic mode. A white fishing boat was trundling towards them. They could now hear the sound of the engine getting louder and louder.

"What the hell do we do?" squealed Rue going in to panic mode. "Do we swim away? Do we duck under the water? Do we wait?"

"What else are we supposed to do?" Daisy asked tears of terror welling.

"So we just sit here?" screamed Rue. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She had had a life that would be a nightmare for some. But her nightmares always consisted of the same things. Anything that she could run from. Anything where she had to stand by and wait for the inevitable and here it was but not in her dreams. This was real. It felt like hours for the boat to meet them but in another way it happened so fast. They were holding each other's hands and trying to think about what Aragon would do in this situation.

The boat came up to them, the man with the beard, beardless and two other men stood against the one side of the boat to greet them.

The girls were huddled together treading water.

"Well what do we have here? Looks like someone has got them selves into a bit of trouble."

"No we haven't." Rue bit back defiantly. He heart beating into her throat. "It's an alcoholics anonyms meeting. You go first." The man gave a chuckle.

"Sorry Cesca, not much of a drinker. And neither are you for that matter. Maybe we could just take you on the boat and leave these two to sort out their bad habits."

"Oh, sounds like super fun but I have actually have other plans for today sorry."

"Yeah she is booked with us. Important stuff, involves the three of us. Hope you understand." Said Twinkle clutching Rue's arm a little tighter.

"Does it involve getting swept out to sea? Because that is what is going to happen if you don't get on this boat." He said offering a hand up to the girls.

"Have you started conducting all your abductions like this? Because last time there were a lot of bags over heads and violent shoves and knockouts. It was much more to the definition." Daisy pointed out.

"Usually but you girls have gotten your selves into the special situation where I don't have to. Thanks for that." He extended his arm a little further but none of the girls moved.

"Well if you ain't going to come with me." One of the other men started up the engine. Twinkle looked around the waters and then to the boat and finally shouted out.

"Ok. Ok we will come." She dog paddled over and grabbed the man's hand. He hoisted her over the side. "But on the trip back we are giving you serous lessons on how to kidnap kids."

He hoisted Rue over the side.

"Yeah I know man. You had it before but now the scariness is all gone."

And then Daisy.

"You know what. I bet it was in the beard." The girls all nodded. The men hoisted the bags over the side as well and gave the girls three pairs of hand-cuffs to put on.

"You wouldn't happen to have any pink fluffy ones would you?" Daisy inquired. The man chuckled. He had a friendly chuckle, like Santa Claus.

"Not on the boat but I will see what I can do." The boat got steered around and as the three men were looking to the front Rue leaned over to the other girls.

"Ah guys, why am I getting this over whelming feeling of _what a nice friendly guy_?"

"I know," Twinkle answered worried. "Me too. We have to physic our selves into hating him ok?" The girls nodded. They talked as they put on the handcuffs.

"I bet he….he….," Daisy was straining for something. "Has really bad breath in the morning."

"Daisy," Rue responded. " That is not going to make us hate him. Twinkle has bad breath in the morning and we don't hate her."

"Yeah and you dribble really baby like in your sleep too." Daisy pointed out.

"And she mutters in her sleep as well."

"Oh, I'm sorry when did this become the annual 'point out my flaws' meting. Because I am pretty sure it was also held last week. We are focusing on him. Thanks very much."

They eventually gave up on trying to hate the guy and switched to their favorite topic of naming things. They all thought that being completely captured by the others would be much more stressful that what it was. But they really got to catch up on some good gossip while on the boat that had been repressed by the tension the past couple of days.

"How about _the sequel_? Like the Sequel to _the island_?" suggested Rue.

"Or we could claim to be mute when we eventually get rescued and the media asks questions, so that we don't have to admit to our horrible imagination when it come to naming things." Argued Twinkle who had long forgotten she was opposed to the trip and was just interested in naming things.

"Do you really think that the rescuers will care?" asked Daisy

"No. But Women Weekly will."

"Women Weekly wont interview us." Said Rue as she started to chew on her handcuffs.

"Yes they will and the first question they will ask is," Twinkle put on a talk show host voice. "So girls could you please answer the question that I'm sure thousands of woman around the world are dieing to know. Sunny, white, secluded beaches, did any island romances develop while on your stay in what is sounding like an island of paradise?"

"Can I hit that lady?" Daisy genuinely asked.

"Not until she asks about the difficulty of your menstrual cycle in a place with no toilet facilities." They all started laughing. Then turned as the man came up to them with the two others behind him.

"Sorry about this but we are just about at the port and we can't give away too many secrets." Before they could say a thing each one of them had a needle jabbed into their shoulder and a drowsy happy feeling before they slumped onto one another unconscious.


	10. Chapter 10

Twinkle opened her eyes. All she could see was a mass of red hair matted over her face and all she could feel was a thumping headache. She hazily looked around.

_Jungle... normal _

_Dirt... normal _

Avery... nor-wait

She quickly jumped up which her head was not in favor of. The Avery was huge and would have once held owls or something equally as big from the width of the bars. Now it did not seem to hold birds but house a couple of nest of birds that fluttered in and out. The bars were damp, rusted and covered in bird droppings.

She ran a hand through her hair.

_Just when you think that crashing on an island can't get worse. _

She started to shout through the bars for Rue, Daisy or anyone but no reply came. She sat down for a while to gain her voice back. Unfortunately panic was setting in. Her heart was beating a million miles an hour and she had nothing to occupy her shacking hands.

She curled up in a ball at the back of the Avery and thought about the real world. The one with cars and buildings and school and the wired things was that she couldn't remember what it all looked like. It was fading so fast and she wondered if she would ever be back there.

Tears started to fall down her cheeks. She had been in bad situations like this before but Rue was always there, her whole life she had been there and now - .

"Don't cry." Twinkle sprung up from the fetal position into total kick-butt stance. It was a woman. She had blonde hair and a kind face. She reminded Twinkle of the councilors that the foster agency made her and Rue attend because they had been nomads for so long. She instantly wanted to sit down and tell her about the bully in the playground when she was eight but she had to come back to reality. _The enemy, the enemy._

" I am sorry I about all this." She waved a hand at the Avery. "But you did come on to our island."

"You have our friends hostage what did you expect us to do?"

"You were trying to get to our island to spring your friends from our possession, what did you expect us to do?" At this Twinkle was a little lost for comebacks, she did have a point.

"Well I obviously expected- that- you would invite us around for tea and cookies and possibly Trivial Pursuit." She said. Giving up the façade that she actually had an argument. The woman grinned. Twinkle went to smile back but then stopped her self. _The enemy, the enemy._

"Rest of our people will come you know? If we could find it they certainly will." She bit back at the nice woman matter-of-factly. The woman smiled calmly.

"They have their own problems. They will try, but get distracted."

"Clairvoyant?" Twinkle asked mockingly. The woman smiled.

"Not officially, but maybe that's because I have never charged." Twinkle giggled but then stopped her self. The woman noticed this and stepped closer to the bars.

"You don't have to hate me." The woman looked straight into the girl's green eyes.

"You stuck me by my self in an Avary and have five of my friends somewhere, anywhere. I think I have the right to hate you."

"You have the right to hate us but weather you hate me or not wont change a thing. I could help."

"Oh yeah and how is that?" Twinkle scoffed.

"Someone to talk to, to vent on." Twinkle looked at her wearily. "Just think about it." The woman started to walk away but turned. "Michelle why haven't you asked where Francesca and Hannah are?"

"Would you have told me?" The woman grinned amusedly at the response. She turned and walked away. She shouted out behind her with out turning.

"I'm Juliet by the way."

**4815162342**

"Daisy?" Daisy heard her name but it felt distant until she felt a hand grab her shoulder. She testily shrugged the hand off. And spoke hazily with her eyes still firmly shut.

"Look Rue, I don't care if rescue has come and they are really hot and willing to do mouth to mouth, I am sleeping!" She tossed over to the other side and then jumped as her warm cheek hit the cold, hard floor. She sprung to her feet.

"Where the hell are we?" she exhaled, spinning around looking over the room terrified.

"Well I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." Rue vented through gritted teeth.

The room was small, round and concrete. It had one door, an intercom, a dangling light and it was full to the brim with tension.

Rue spotted the intercom and took the few strides from the other side of the room to it.

"Where are you going?" Daisy asked.

"Out for a coffee." Rue said not really paying attention but pressing the button repeatedly on the intercom. Daisy strode over to join her.

"Oh don't be absurd…you don't drink coffee." The girls poked and talked into the intercom for at least a half an hour before they gave up.

"Come on Mr intercom. We both know that you want to work." Daisy tried to reason with it.

"Maybe he is on the _Others'_ side." Rue said scathingly, glaring at the intercom.

"Are you Mr intercom? Bad Mr intercom." Daisy slapped the cold, metal intercom. "Bad boy." The two girls slumpt down against the wall.

"What if they have Shell?" asked Rue worriedly.

"Well I'm pretty sure they didn't just take us and leave her."

"Maybe they don't like red heads"

"A red hair joke? At a time like this?" Daisy asked waving a hand around the room.

"It makes me feel more at home." Rue sighed.

"At home." Daisy mulled. She looked at the room. "God this place could really do with a rug and a few pictures on the walls. A serious redecorating job these people have no sense of style."

The one door in the round room suddenly made a creak and a lurch forward. Then opened to reveal the un-bearded man stand with a tray of food. He silently walked in. the girls huddled next to each other. He set the tray down in the middle of the floor. And looked up at the girls.

"How you two holding up?" He sounded genuinely concerned. Rue was shit scared of anyone to do with these Others but not this guy. So she bounced up.

"Like bank robbers at a policemans' ball." Daisy heard this and the banta gave her the comfort to stand and join her. The man chuckled. He had such a warm laugh. Daisy was sick of this guy being non descript.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Tom." He said clutching a couple of towels from over his shoulder and placing them next to the tray.

"Tom as in the thumb?" asked Rue

"Tom as in the tank engine?"

"Tom as in the guy Rue had a crush on last year?" Rue looked a Daisy horrified. "Twinkle told me."

"What the hell. If there was a _tear apart my social life_ meeting I would have at least liked to be there to get some constructive criticism on what I should do next time."

"Fine you are formally invited to the next one. Bring diary entries if possible." They both looked back at Tom.

"So Tom…" Daisy mused, passing the room. "That name would have been given to you by?"

"My parents."

"Oh my god mine too! And so was Rue's, well not Rue that was Sawyer, but Fran was all their doing. We have so much in common, we are totally going to get along."

"After you have eaten, knock on the door and you will be taken to the showers."

"To do what?" Rue inquired biting into the sandwich.

"To shower." He said looking at her oddly.

"Oh got it." Rue mumbled through the food in her mouth. "It's just you can never tell these days. With all the capturing and drugging and planes crashing. I sware it is all Bush's fault."

"Too right." Daisy said passionately biting into an apple. Tom bowed his head and turned to walk out.

"Want to join us?" Daisy asked patting the floor beside her. He turned around and looked at them. The two girls sitting cross legged on the ground stuffing their faces.

"We can't offer you any food because we are selfish but dam good conversation is completely free." She tried to sell it. Rue continued.

"And we give you valuable practice for handling those really annoying chatty people you come across in life." He popped his head out the door, looked both ways and walked to the middle of the room where they were settled.

"We actually have a motive for this invitation." Daisy nodded in agreement with Rue. Tom looked at them in a serious, 'you know I can't tell you anything' way.

"Look we both really need to know what has been happening on Gilmore girls!" she let out in desperation.

"We didn't know each other before the crash, me and Rue, and the only common ground that we have found to bond on is Gilmore Girls, so we seriously need to know!"

"Sorry I ah," he looked down and grinned to him self. "I don't whatch, Gilmore girls." The girls looked like they were on the verge of tears.

"Ah, look I will ask around and see if anyone knows anything."

"Fantastic. Oh and one more thing." Rue asked off handedly. "Much less important but still on the agenda. Can we be put with Shell?"

"No." he said bluntly.

"Don't want to think about that one for a minuet do you?"

"Ah, No."

"I mean really don't feel rushed." Daisy continued. "Just take your time."

"No. Sorry girls but certain procedures have to be undertaken, certain questions have to be asked before you can be put together. You both ready for showers right?"

"Yep the fighter pilots have officially been crushed." She grabbed the purple towel. "Purple. My favorite colour, oh Tom you old softy. Lets hit the showers Daisy-chain." Rue had hit the _can't get any worse_ point and was taking comfort in it.

"Now I am going to have to ask that you put these bags over your heads."

"Oh Thomas I thought you'd never ask." Rue said bouncing over to collect hers.


End file.
